Aion 3.5 Mini is $3.3 cheaper per 1M input tokens (82.5% lower; 5.71x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewQwen3.8 Max Prime vs NewAion 3.5 Mini
Pick Aion 3.5 Mini for lower cost; pick Qwen3.8 Max Prime 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 Aion 3.5 Mini for lower cost; pick Qwen3.8 Max Prime only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Aion 3.5 Mini is estimated at $1.4 vs $10 for Qwen3.8 Max Prime, saving $8.6 (86% lower).
Cost-first pickAion 3.5 Mini
Context-first pickQwen3.8 Max Prime
Sample savings$8.686%
10x traffic gap$86
Qwen3.8 Max Prime has more context, but Aion 3.5 Mini saves $8.6 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $86. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Aion 3.5 Mini stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen3.8 Max Prime | Aion 3.5 Mini |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Aion 3.5 Mini | $26 | $4.2 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Aion 3.5 Mini | $16 | $2.1 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Aion 3.5 Mini | $64 | $7.7 |
Aion 3.5 Mini is $10.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (88.3% lower; 8.57x difference).
Qwen3.8 Max Prime has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
Aion 3.5 Mini is $8.6 cheaper on the standard workload (86% 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
Aion 3.5 Mini has the lower input price; Aion 3.5 Mini has the lower output price; Qwen3.8 Max Prime offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Aion 3.5 Mini is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $10 for Qwen3.8 Max Prime and $1.4 for Aion 3.5 Mini.
Choose Qwen3.8 Max Prime when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Aion 3.5 Mini when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Aion 3.5 Mini is estimated at $1.4 vs $10 for Qwen3.8 Max Prime, saving $8.6 (86% lower).
- Aion 3.5 Mini is $8.6 cheaper on the standard workload (86% lower).
- Aion 3.5 Mini is $3.3 cheaper per 1M input tokens (82.5% lower; 5.71x difference).
- Aion 3.5 Mini is $10.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (88.3% lower; 8.57x difference).
- Qwen3.8 Max Prime has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
| Feature | NewQwen3.8 Max Prime (Qwen) | NewAion 3.5 Mini (AionLabs) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $4 | $0.7 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $12 | $1.4 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $10 | $1.4 |
| Context Window | 1M | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Aion 3.5 Mini | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Aion 3.5 Mini is estimated at $1.4 vs $10 for Qwen3.8 Max Prime, saving $8.6 (86% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Aion 3.5 Mini | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Aion 3.5 Mini | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Qwen3.8 Max Prime | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Qwen3.8 27B (free) can replace Qwen3.8 Max Prime when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen3.8 Max Prime when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.8 Max Prime when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3.7 Flash can replace Qwen3.8 Max Prime when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- GLM 5.3 Flash offers 1.31M context with $0.4 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.36 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Pro · Xiaomi · #1
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #2
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #3
- Hy4 preview · Tencent · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
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