API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-4.1 vs LFM2-24B-A2B

Pick LFM2-24B-A2B for lower cost; pick GPT-4.1 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T19:08:13Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick LFM2-24B-A2B for lower cost; pick GPT-4.1 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2-24B-A2B is estimated at $0.09 vs $6 for GPT-4.1, saving $5.91 (98.5% lower).

Cost-first pickLFM2-24B-A2B

Context-first pickGPT-4.1

Sample savings$5.9198.5%

10x traffic gap$59.1

GPT-4.1 has more context, but LFM2-24B-A2B saves $5.91 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $59.1. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

LFM2-24B-A2B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	GPT-4.1	LFM2-24B-A2B
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	LFM2-24B-A2B	$14	$0.21
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	LFM2-24B-A2B	$10	$0.15
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	LFM2-24B-A2B	$42	$0.63

Cheaper input LFM2-24B-A2B $2 vs $0.03 / 1M

LFM2-24B-A2B is $1.97 cheaper per 1M input tokens (98.5% lower; 66.7x difference).

Cheaper output LFM2-24B-A2B $8 vs $0.12 / 1M

LFM2-24B-A2B is $7.88 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.5% lower; 66.7x difference).

Larger context GPT-4.1 1.05M vs 128K

GPT-4.1 has 919.58K more context (8.18x larger).

Sample workload LFM2-24B-A2B $6 vs $0.09

LFM2-24B-A2B is $5.91 cheaper on the standard workload (98.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

GPT-4.1 Calculating… Estimated API cost

LFM2-24B-A2B 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

LFM2-24B-A2B has the lower input price; LFM2-24B-A2B has the lower output price; GPT-4.1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, LFM2-24B-A2B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $6 for GPT-4.1 and $0.09 for LFM2-24B-A2B.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-4.1 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose LFM2-24B-A2B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2-24B-A2B is estimated at $0.09 vs $6 for GPT-4.1, saving $5.91 (98.5% lower).
LFM2-24B-A2B is $5.91 cheaper on the standard workload (98.5% lower).
LFM2-24B-A2B is $1.97 cheaper per 1M input tokens (98.5% lower; 66.7x difference).
LFM2-24B-A2B is $7.88 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.5% lower; 66.7x difference).
GPT-4.1 has 919.58K more context (8.18x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	GPT-4.1 (OpenAI)	LFM2-24B-A2B (LiquidAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$2	$0.03
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$8	$0.12
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$6	$0.09
Context Window	1.05M	128K
Release Date	2025-04-14	2026-02-25
Popularity	#69	#125

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	LFM2-24B-A2B	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, LFM2-24B-A2B is estimated at $0.09 vs $6 for GPT-4.1, saving $5.91 (98.5% lower).
High-volume input processing	LFM2-24B-A2B	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	LFM2-24B-A2B	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	GPT-4.1	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-4.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-4.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-4.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-4.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

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OpenAI catalog

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LiquidAI catalog

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GPT-4.1

GPT-4.1 is a flagship large language model optimized for advanced instruction following, real-world software engineering, and long-context reasoning. It supports a 1 million token context window and outperforms GPT-4o and...

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