Perceptron Mk1.5 is $0.15 cheaper per 1M input tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewMoondream 3 Preview vs Perceptron Mk1.5
Pick Perceptron Mk1.5 when budget and context both matter.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Perceptron Mk1.5 when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Perceptron Mk1.5 is estimated at $0.9 vs $1.55 for Moondream 3 Preview, saving $0.65 (41.9% lower).
Cost-first pickPerceptron Mk1.5
Context-first pickPerceptron Mk1.5
Sample savings$0.6541.9%
10x traffic gap$6.5
Perceptron Mk1.5 is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $6.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Perceptron Mk1.5 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Moondream 3 Preview | Perceptron Mk1.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Perceptron Mk1.5 | $2.75 | $1.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Perceptron Mk1.5 | $2.8 | $1.65 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Perceptron Mk1.5 | $12.8 | $7.65 |
Perceptron Mk1.5 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
Perceptron Mk1.5 has 4.86K more context (1.15x larger).
Perceptron Mk1.5 is $0.65 cheaper on the standard workload (41.9% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
Perceptron Mk1.5 has the lower input price; Perceptron Mk1.5 has the lower output price; Perceptron Mk1.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Perceptron Mk1.5 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.55 for Moondream 3 Preview and $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1.5.
Choose Moondream 3 Preview when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
Choose Perceptron Mk1.5 when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Perceptron Mk1.5 is estimated at $0.9 vs $1.55 for Moondream 3 Preview, saving $0.65 (41.9% lower).
- Perceptron Mk1.5 is $0.65 cheaper on the standard workload (41.9% lower).
- Perceptron Mk1.5 is $0.15 cheaper per 1M input tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).
- Perceptron Mk1.5 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
- Perceptron Mk1.5 has 4.86K more context (1.15x larger).
| Feature | NewMoondream 3 Preview (Moondream) | Perceptron Mk1.5 (Perceptron) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.3 | $0.15 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $2.5 | $1.5 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.55 | $0.9 |
| Context Window | 32K | 36.86K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Perceptron Mk1.5 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Perceptron Mk1.5 is estimated at $0.9 vs $1.55 for Moondream 3 Preview, saving $0.65 (41.9% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Perceptron Mk1.5 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Perceptron Mk1.5 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Perceptron Mk1.5 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.47 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Step 5 Preview · StepFun · #2
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #3
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash · Xiaomi · #4
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