Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.08 cheaper per 1M input tokens (53.3% lower; 2.14x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewPerceptron Mk1.5 vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Pick Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when budget and context both matter.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1.5, saving $0.73 (81.1% lower).
Cost-first pickNemotron 3.5 Lightning
Context-first pickNemotron 3.5 Lightning
Sample savings$0.7381.1%
10x traffic gap$7.3
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $7.3. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Perceptron Mk1.5 | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | $1.5 | $0.45 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | $1.65 | $0.27 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | $7.65 | $1.07 |
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $1.3 cheaper per 1M output tokens (86.7% lower; 7.5x difference).
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has 963.14K more context (27.1x larger).
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.73 cheaper on the standard workload (81.1% 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
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the lower input price; Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the lower output price; Nemotron 3.5 Lightning offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1.5 and $0.17 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning.
Choose Perceptron Mk1.5 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
Choose Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1.5, saving $0.73 (81.1% lower).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.73 cheaper on the standard workload (81.1% lower).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.08 cheaper per 1M input tokens (53.3% lower; 2.14x difference).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $1.3 cheaper per 1M output tokens (86.7% lower; 7.5x difference).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has 963.14K more context (27.1x larger).
| Feature | NewPerceptron Mk1.5 (Perceptron) | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (NVIDIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.15 | $0.07 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.5 | $0.2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.9 | $0.17 |
| Context Window | 36.86K | 1M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1.5, saving $0.73 (81.1% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Nemotron 3 Ultra (free) can replace Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) can replace Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3.5 Content Safety (free) can replace Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3 Nano Omni (free) can replace Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- GLM 5.3 Flash offers 1.31M context with $0.12 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.19 sample workload cost.
- GLM Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.12 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.19 sample workload cost.
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- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #2
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #3
- Hy4 preview · Tencent · #4
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