Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is $0.48 cheaper per 1M input tokens (80.5% lower; 5.13x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Nemotron 3 Ultra vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Pick Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct for lower cost; pick Nemotron 3 Ultra only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct for lower cost; pick Nemotron 3 Ultra only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is estimated at $0.34 vs $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra, saving $2.06 (85.6% lower).
Cost-first pickQwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Context-first pickNemotron 3 Ultra
Sample savings$2.0685.6%
10x traffic gap$20.55
Nemotron 3 Ultra has more context, but Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct saves $2.06 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $20.55. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Nemotron 3 Ultra | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | $4.8 | $0.81 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | $4.2 | $0.57 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | $18.6 | $2.39 |
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is $3.15 cheaper per 1M output tokens (87.4% lower; 7.91x difference).
Nemotron 3 Ultra has 250.14K more context (1.95x larger).
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is $2.06 cheaper on the standard workload (85.6% 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
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct has the lower input price; Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct has the lower output price; Nemotron 3 Ultra offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra and $0.34 for Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.
Choose Nemotron 3 Ultra when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is estimated at $0.34 vs $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra, saving $2.06 (85.6% lower).
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is $2.06 cheaper on the standard workload (85.6% lower).
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is $0.48 cheaper per 1M input tokens (80.5% lower; 5.13x difference).
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is $3.15 cheaper per 1M output tokens (87.4% lower; 7.91x difference).
- Nemotron 3 Ultra has 250.14K more context (1.95x larger).
| Feature | Nemotron 3 Ultra (NVIDIA) | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct (Qwen) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.6 | $0.117 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $3.6 | $0.455 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2.4 | $0.34 |
| Context Window | 512.29K | 262.14K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #91 | #109 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is estimated at $0.34 vs $2.4 for Nemotron 3 Ultra, saving $2.06 (85.6% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Nemotron 3 Ultra | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Nemotron 3 Ultra (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3 Super (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3 Nano Omni (free) can replace Nemotron 3 Ultra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.5 offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
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- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #3
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Cheaper alternatives
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