API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewTernary Bonsai 2 9B vs Claude Haiku 5.5

Pick Ternary Bonsai 2 9B for lower cost; pick Claude Haiku 5.5 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 Ternary Bonsai 2 9B for lower cost; pick Claude Haiku 5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is estimated at $0.15 vs $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5, saving $0.2 (58.6% lower).

Cost-first pickTernary Bonsai 2 9B
Context-first pickClaude Haiku 5.5
Sample savings$0.258.6%
10x traffic gap$2.05

Claude Haiku 5.5 has more context, but Ternary Bonsai 2 9B saves $0.2 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $2.05. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Ternary Bonsai 2 9B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickTernary Bonsai 2 9BClaude Haiku 5.5
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputTernary Bonsai 2 9B$0.47$0.75
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputTernary Bonsai 2 9B$0.21$0.6
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputTernary Bonsai 2 9B$0.73$2.6
Cheaper input Ternary Bonsai 2 9B $0.08 vs $0.1 / 1M

Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is $0.02 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).

Cheaper output Ternary Bonsai 2 9B $0.13 vs $0.5 / 1M

Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is $0.37 cheaper per 1M output tokens (74% lower; 3.85x difference).

Larger context Claude Haiku 5.5 262.14K vs 1M

Claude Haiku 5.5 has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).

Sample workload Ternary Bonsai 2 9B $0.15 vs $0.35

Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is $0.2 cheaper on the standard workload (58.6% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B Calculating… Estimated API cost
Claude Haiku 5.5 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

Ternary Bonsai 2 9B has the lower input price; Ternary Bonsai 2 9B has the lower output price; Claude Haiku 5.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.15 for Ternary Bonsai 2 9B and $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5.

Best Fit

Choose Ternary Bonsai 2 9B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Claude Haiku 5.5 when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is estimated at $0.15 vs $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5, saving $0.2 (58.6% lower).
  • Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is $0.2 cheaper on the standard workload (58.6% lower).
  • Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is $0.02 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
  • Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is $0.37 cheaper per 1M output tokens (74% lower; 3.85x difference).
  • Claude Haiku 5.5 has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewTernary Bonsai 2 9B
(PrismML)
Claude Haiku 5.5
(Anthropic)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.08$0.1
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.13$0.5
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.15$0.35
Context Window262.14K1M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionTernary Bonsai 2 9BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is estimated at $0.15 vs $0.35 for Claude Haiku 5.5, saving $0.2 (58.6% lower).
High-volume input processingTernary Bonsai 2 9BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsTernary Bonsai 2 9BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workClaude Haiku 5.5A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
Larger context near this budget
  • 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.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

PrismML catalog

Review all tracked PrismML models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open PrismML models

Anthropic catalog

Check other Anthropic models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Anthropic models
Ternary Bonsai 2 9B

Ternary Bonsai 2 9B is PrismML’s compact, open-weight language model for conversational AI, reasoning, and tool use. Built on Qwen3.5, it uses ternary weights packed into 2 bits for efficient...

Claude Haiku 5.5

Claude Haiku 5.5 is Anthropic's small, fast model for high-volume, cost-sensitive work such as summarization, subagents, and browser use. It succeeds Claude Haiku 4.5 with stronger coding, computer use, and...