API cost decision in 10 seconds

New🔥MiniMax M3 vs GPT-5.4 Nano

Pick GPT-5.4 Nano for lower cost; pick MiniMax M3 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GPT-5.4 Nano for lower cost; pick MiniMax M3 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Nano is estimated at $0.82 vs $0.9 for MiniMax M3, saving $0.07 (8.3% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-5.4 Nano
Context-first pickMiniMax M3
Sample savings$0.078.3%
10x traffic gap$0.75

MiniMax M3 has more context, but GPT-5.4 Nano saves $0.07 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.75. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors GPT-5.4 Nano, balanced workload favors GPT-5.4 Nano, and output-heavy chatbot favors MiniMax M3.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickMiniMax M3GPT-5.4 Nano
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGPT-5.4 Nano$2.1$1.62
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGPT-5.4 Nano$1.5$1.45
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputMiniMax M3$6.3$6.45
Cheaper input GPT-5.4 Nano $0.3 vs $0.2 / 1M

GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).

Cheaper output MiniMax M3 $1.2 vs $1.25 / 1M

MiniMax M3 is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (4% lower; 1.04x difference).

Larger context MiniMax M3 1.05M vs 400K

MiniMax M3 has 648.58K more context (2.62x larger).

Sample workload GPT-5.4 Nano $0.9 vs $0.82

GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.07 cheaper on the standard workload (8.3% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
MiniMax M3 Calculating… Estimated API cost
GPT-5.4 Nano Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

GPT-5.4 Nano has the lower input price; MiniMax M3 has the lower output price; MiniMax M3 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-5.4 Nano is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.9 for MiniMax M3 and $0.82 for GPT-5.4 Nano.

Best Fit

Choose MiniMax M3 when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose GPT-5.4 Nano when you care most about lower input-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Nano is estimated at $0.82 vs $0.9 for MiniMax M3, saving $0.07 (8.3% lower).
  • GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.07 cheaper on the standard workload (8.3% lower).
  • GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
  • MiniMax M3 is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (4% lower; 1.04x difference).
  • MiniMax M3 has 648.58K more context (2.62x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNew🔥MiniMax M3
(MiniMax)		GPT-5.4 Nano
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.3$0.2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1.2$1.25
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.9$0.82
Context Window1.05M400K
Release Date
Popularity#4#45

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGPT-5.4 NanoOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Nano is estimated at $0.82 vs $0.9 for MiniMax M3, saving $0.07 (8.3% lower).
High-volume input processingGPT-5.4 NanoLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsMiniMax M3Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workMiniMax M3A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • MiniMax M2.5 (free) can replace MiniMax M3 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • MiniMax M2.5 can replace MiniMax M3 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.6.
  • MiniMax M2.7 can replace MiniMax M3 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.75.
  • MiniMax-01 can replace MiniMax M3 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.75.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
  • Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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MiniMax catalog

Review all tracked MiniMax models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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OpenAI catalog

Check other OpenAI models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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MiniMax M3

MiniMax-M3 is a multimodal foundation model from MiniMax. It supports text, image, and video inputs with text output, a 1M-token context window, and is suited for long-horizon agentic work, coding,...

GPT-5.4 Nano

GPT-5.4 nano is the most lightweight and cost-efficient variant of the GPT-5.4 family, optimized for speed-critical and high-volume tasks. It supports text and image inputs and is designed for low-latency...