API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewBeam 1.0 501B A23B vs GPT-6 Astra

Pick Beam 1.0 501B A23B for lower cost; pick GPT-6 Astra 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 Beam 1.0 501B A23B for lower cost; pick GPT-6 Astra only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Beam 1.0 501B A23B is estimated at $0.75 vs $35 for GPT-6 Astra, saving $34.25 (97.9% lower).

Cost-first pickBeam 1.0 501B A23B
Context-first pickGPT-6 Astra
Sample savings$34.2597.9%
10x traffic gap$342.5

GPT-6 Astra has more context, but Beam 1.0 501B A23B saves $34.25 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $342.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Beam 1.0 501B A23B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickBeam 1.0 501B A23BGPT-6 Astra
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputBeam 1.0 501B A23B$1.75$75
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputBeam 1.0 501B A23B$1.25$60
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputBeam 1.0 501B A23B$5.25$260
Cheaper input Beam 1.0 501B A23B $0.25 vs $10 / 1M

Beam 1.0 501B A23B is $9.75 cheaper per 1M input tokens (97.5% lower; 40x difference).

Cheaper output Beam 1.0 501B A23B $1 vs $50 / 1M

Beam 1.0 501B A23B is $49 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98% lower; 50x difference).

Larger context GPT-6 Astra 1.05M vs 1.05M

GPT-6 Astra has 1.42K more context (1x larger).

Sample workload Beam 1.0 501B A23B $0.75 vs $35

Beam 1.0 501B A23B is $34.25 cheaper on the standard workload (97.9% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Beam 1.0 501B A23B Calculating… Estimated API cost
GPT-6 Astra 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

Beam 1.0 501B A23B has the lower input price; Beam 1.0 501B A23B has the lower output price; GPT-6 Astra offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Beam 1.0 501B A23B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.75 for Beam 1.0 501B A23B and $35 for GPT-6 Astra.

Best Fit

Choose Beam 1.0 501B A23B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose GPT-6 Astra when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Beam 1.0 501B A23B is estimated at $0.75 vs $35 for GPT-6 Astra, saving $34.25 (97.9% lower).
  • Beam 1.0 501B A23B is $34.25 cheaper on the standard workload (97.9% lower).
  • Beam 1.0 501B A23B is $9.75 cheaper per 1M input tokens (97.5% lower; 40x difference).
  • Beam 1.0 501B A23B is $49 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98% lower; 50x difference).
  • GPT-6 Astra has 1.42K more context (1x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewBeam 1.0 501B A23B
(Reflection)		GPT-6 Astra
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.25$10
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1$50
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.75$35
Context Window1.05M1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionBeam 1.0 501B A23BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Beam 1.0 501B A23B is estimated at $0.75 vs $35 for GPT-6 Astra, saving $34.25 (97.9% lower).
High-volume input processingBeam 1.0 501B A23BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsBeam 1.0 501B A23BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-6 AstraA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-6 Astra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-6 Astra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-6 Astra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.06.
  • gpt-oss-20b (batch) can replace GPT-6 Astra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.08.
Larger context near this budget

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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

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Reflection catalog

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

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OpenAI catalog

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

Open OpenAI models
Beam 1.0 501B A23B

Beam 1.0 is Reflection's open-weight reasoning model for coding and long-horizon agentic workflows. It uses a sparse mixture-of-experts architecture with 501B total and 23B active parameters per token, and a...

GPT-6 Astra

GPT-6 Astra is OpenAI's flagship model for demanding end-to-end work. It is suited for advanced analysis, software engineering, deep research, scientific work, and document creation, with particular strengths in long-horizon...