Gemma 4 31B (free) is free for input tokens while Qwen3.6 Flash costs $0.19 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Qwen3.6 Flash vs Gemma 4 31B (free)
Pick Gemma 4 31B (free) for lower cost; pick Qwen3.6 Flash 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 Gemma 4 31B (free) for lower cost; pick Qwen3.6 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 31B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.75 for Qwen3.6 Flash, saving $0.75 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickGemma 4 31B (free)
Context-first pickQwen3.6 Flash
Sample savings$0.75100%
10x traffic gap$7.5
Qwen3.6 Flash has more context, but Gemma 4 31B (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
Gemma 4 31B (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen3.6 Flash | Gemma 4 31B (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Gemma 4 31B (free) | $1.5 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Gemma 4 31B (free) | $1.31 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Gemma 4 31B (free) | $5.81 | $0 |
Gemma 4 31B (free) is free for output tokens while Qwen3.6 Flash costs $1.12 per 1M tokens.
Qwen3.6 Flash has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
Gemma 4 31B (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
Gemma 4 31B (free) has the lower input price; Gemma 4 31B (free) has the lower output price; Qwen3.6 Flash offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Gemma 4 31B (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 Qwen3.6 Flash and $0 for Gemma 4 31B (free).
Choose Qwen3.6 Flash when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Gemma 4 31B (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 31B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.75 for Qwen3.6 Flash, saving $0.75 (100% lower).
- Gemma 4 31B (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.75.
- Gemma 4 31B (free) is free for input tokens while Qwen3.6 Flash costs $0.19 per 1M tokens.
- Gemma 4 31B (free) is free for output tokens while Qwen3.6 Flash costs $1.12 per 1M tokens.
- Qwen3.6 Flash has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
| Feature | Qwen3.6 Flash (Qwen) | Gemma 4 31B (free) (Google) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.1875 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.125 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.75 | $0 |
| Context Window | 1M | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Gemma 4 31B (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 31B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.75 for Qwen3.6 Flash, saving $0.75 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Gemma 4 31B (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Gemma 4 31B (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Qwen3.6 Flash | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen3.6 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.6 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen3.6 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen3.6 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
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