Qwen3.8 27B is $0.6 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewQwen3.8 27B vs Grok Build 0.1
Pick Qwen3.8 27B when budget and context both matter.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Qwen3.8 27B when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.8 27B is estimated at $1.9 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.1 (5% lower).
Cost-first pickQwen3.8 27B
Context-first pickQwen3.8 27B
Sample savings$0.15%
10x traffic gap$1
Qwen3.8 27B is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Qwen3.8 27B, balanced workload favors Grok Build 0.1, and output-heavy chatbot favors Grok Build 0.1.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen3.8 27B | Grok Build 0.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Qwen3.8 27B | $3.5 | $6 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Grok Build 0.1 | $3.4 | $3 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Grok Build 0.1 | $15.4 | $11 |
Grok Build 0.1 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
Qwen3.8 27B has 744K more context (3.91x larger).
Qwen3.8 27B is $0.1 cheaper on the standard workload (5% 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
Qwen3.8 27B has the lower input price; Grok Build 0.1 has the lower output price; Qwen3.8 27B offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3.8 27B is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.9 for Qwen3.8 27B and $2 for Grok Build 0.1.
Choose Qwen3.8 27B when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
Choose Grok Build 0.1 when you care most about lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.8 27B is estimated at $1.9 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.1 (5% lower).
- Qwen3.8 27B is $0.1 cheaper on the standard workload (5% lower).
- Qwen3.8 27B is $0.6 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
- Grok Build 0.1 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
- Qwen3.8 27B has 744K more context (3.91x larger).
| Feature | NewQwen3.8 27B (Qwen) | Grok Build 0.1 (SpaceXAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.4 | $1 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $3 | $2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.9 | $2 |
| Context Window | 1M | 256K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Qwen3.8 27B | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.8 27B is estimated at $1.9 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.1 (5% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Qwen3.8 27B | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Grok Build 0.1 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Qwen3.8 27B | 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 Qwen3.8 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.8 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3.7 Flash can replace Qwen3.8 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- Qwen3 30B A3B Instruct 2507 can replace Qwen3.8 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.14.
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Cheaper alternatives
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Open SpaceXAI modelsQwen3.8 27B is an open-weight dense vision-language model from Qwen. It is suited for coding, professional workflows, research, multimodal interaction, and long-running agent tasks, with flexible thinking that can be...
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