Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for input tokens while Particle-1 costs $0.25 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewParticle-1 vs Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free)
Pick Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) for lower cost; pick Particle-1 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 Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) for lower cost; pick Particle-1 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.75 for Particle-1, saving $0.75 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickLing 3.0 Flash VL (free)
Context-first pickParticle-1
Sample savings$0.75100%
10x traffic gap$7.5
Particle-1 has more context, but Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) saves $0.75 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $7.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Particle-1 | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | $1.75 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | $1.25 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | $5.25 | $0 |
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for output tokens while Particle-1 costs $1 per 1M tokens.
Particle-1 has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.75.
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
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) has the lower input price; Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) has the lower output price; Particle-1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.75 for Particle-1 and $0 for Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free).
Choose Particle-1 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.75 for Particle-1, saving $0.75 (100% lower).
- Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.75.
- Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for input tokens while Particle-1 costs $0.25 per 1M tokens.
- Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for output tokens while Particle-1 costs $1 per 1M tokens.
- Particle-1 has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
| Feature | NewParticle-1 (Particle AI) | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) (inclusionAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.25 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.75 | $0 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.75 for Particle-1, saving $0.75 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Particle-1 | 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 $0.25 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.
- Kimi K3.1 Pro · MoonshotAI · #1
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 · DeepSeek · #2
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #3
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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