Dots3-Note Preview (free) is free for input tokens while GPT-5.6 Sol costs $2 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥GPT-5.6 Sol vs NewDots3-Note Preview (free)
Pick Dots3-Note Preview (free) for lower cost; pick GPT-5.6 Sol 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 Dots3-Note Preview (free) for lower cost; pick GPT-5.6 Sol only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Dots3-Note Preview (free) is estimated at $0 vs $7 for GPT-5.6 Sol, saving $7 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickDots3-Note Preview (free)
Context-first pickGPT-5.6 Sol
Sample savings$7100%
10x traffic gap$70
GPT-5.6 Sol has more context, but Dots3-Note Preview (free) saves $7 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $70. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Dots3-Note Preview (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GPT-5.6 Sol | Dots3-Note Preview (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Dots3-Note Preview (free) | $15 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Dots3-Note Preview (free) | $12 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Dots3-Note Preview (free) | $52 | $0 |
Dots3-Note Preview (free) is free for output tokens while GPT-5.6 Sol costs $10 per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.6 Sol has 538K more context (2.05x larger).
Dots3-Note Preview (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $7.
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
Dots3-Note Preview (free) has the lower input price; Dots3-Note Preview (free) has the lower output price; GPT-5.6 Sol offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Dots3-Note Preview (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $7 for GPT-5.6 Sol and $0 for Dots3-Note Preview (free).
Choose GPT-5.6 Sol when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Dots3-Note Preview (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Dots3-Note Preview (free) is estimated at $0 vs $7 for GPT-5.6 Sol, saving $7 (100% lower).
- Dots3-Note Preview (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $7.
- Dots3-Note Preview (free) is free for input tokens while GPT-5.6 Sol costs $2 per 1M tokens.
- Dots3-Note Preview (free) is free for output tokens while GPT-5.6 Sol costs $10 per 1M tokens.
- GPT-5.6 Sol has 538K more context (2.05x larger).
| Feature | 🔥GPT-5.6 Sol (OpenAI) | NewDots3-Note Preview (free) (Dots Studio) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $2 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $10 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $7 | $0 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 512K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #15 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Dots3-Note Preview (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Dots3-Note Preview (free) is estimated at $0 vs $7 for GPT-5.6 Sol, saving $7 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Dots3-Note Preview (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Dots3-Note Preview (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GPT-5.6 Sol | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.12.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.11 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- Hy3 · Tencent · #3
- Ox Alpha · stealth · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsOpenAI catalog
Review all tracked OpenAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open OpenAI modelsDots Studio catalog
Check other Dots Studio models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Dots Studio modelsGPT-5.6 Sol is the flagship model in OpenAI's GPT-5.6 series. It is suited for complex reasoning, coding, and agentic workflows, and is particularly strong at command-line and multi-step coding tasks...
Dots3-Note Preview is an open-weight mixture-of-experts model from Dots Studio, with 16B active parameters out of 280B total. It is the lightest model in the Dots 3 family and is...