API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-5.4 Nano vs Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507

Pick GPT-5.4 Nano when budget and context both matter.

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

Budget verdict

Pick GPT-5.4 Nano when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Nano is estimated at $0.82 vs $0.9 for Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507, saving $0.07 (8% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-5.4 Nano
Context-first pickGPT-5.4 Nano
Sample savings$0.078%
10x traffic gap$0.72

GPT-5.4 Nano is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.72. 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 Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507, balanced workload favors GPT-5.4 Nano, and output-heavy chatbot favors GPT-5.4 Nano.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGPT-5.4 NanoQwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507$1.62$1.5
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGPT-5.4 Nano$1.45$1.64
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGPT-5.4 Nano$6.45$7.62
Cheaper input Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507 $0.2 vs $0.1495 / 1M

Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507 is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25.3% lower; 1.34x difference).

Cheaper output GPT-5.4 Nano $1.25 vs $1.495 / 1M

GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.4% lower; 1.2x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.4 Nano 400K vs 262.14K

GPT-5.4 Nano has 137.86K more context (1.53x larger).

Sample workload GPT-5.4 Nano $0.82 vs $0.9

GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.07 cheaper on the standard workload (8% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.4 Nano Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507 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

Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507 has the lower input price; GPT-5.4 Nano has the lower output price; GPT-5.4 Nano 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 $0.82 for GPT-5.4 Nano and $0.9 for Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.4 Nano when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507 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 Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507, saving $0.07 (8% lower).
  • GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.07 cheaper on the standard workload (8% lower).
  • Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507 is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25.3% lower; 1.34x difference).
  • GPT-5.4 Nano is $0.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.4% lower; 1.2x difference).
  • GPT-5.4 Nano has 137.86K more context (1.53x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGPT-5.4 Nano
(OpenAI)
Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507
(Qwen)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.2$0.1495
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$1.25$1.495
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.82$0.9
Context Window400K262.14K
Release Date
Popularity#32#133

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 Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507, saving $0.07 (8% lower).
High-volume input processingQwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGPT-5.4 NanoLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.4 NanoA 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-5.4 Nano when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 Nano when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.4 Nano when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.4 Nano when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
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