API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewFugu Ultra v2 vs Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch)

Pick Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) 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 Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is estimated at $1.31 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra v2, saving $18.69 (93.4% lower).

Cost-first pickGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)
Context-first pickGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)
Sample savings$18.6993.4%
10x traffic gap$186.88

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $186.88. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickFugu Ultra v2Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch)
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)$40$2.81
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)$35$2.25
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)$155$9.75
Cheaper input Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) $5 vs $0.375 / 1M

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is $4.62 cheaper per 1M input tokens (92.5% lower; 13.3x difference).

Cheaper output Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) $30 vs $1.875 / 1M

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is $28.12 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.8% lower; 16x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) 1M vs 1.05M

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) has 48.58K more context (1.05x larger).

Sample workload Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) $20 vs $1.31

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is $18.69 cheaper on the standard workload (93.4% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Fugu Ultra v2 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) 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

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) has the lower input price; Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) has the lower output price; Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $20 for Fugu Ultra v2 and $1.31 for Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch).

Best Fit

Choose Fugu Ultra v2 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Choose Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is estimated at $1.31 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra v2, saving $18.69 (93.4% lower).
  • Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is $18.69 cheaper on the standard workload (93.4% lower).
  • Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is $4.62 cheaper per 1M input tokens (92.5% lower; 13.3x difference).
  • Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is $28.12 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.8% lower; 16x difference).
  • Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) has 48.58K more context (1.05x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewFugu Ultra v2
(Sakana)
Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch)
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$5$0.375
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$30$1.875
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$20$1.31
Context Window1M1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) is estimated at $1.31 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra v2, saving $18.69 (93.4% lower).
High-volume input processingGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.8 Flash (batch)A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Sakana Namazu can replace Fugu Ultra v2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.95.
  • Fugu Max can replace Fugu Ultra v2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $5.
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

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.

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Provider catalogs

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

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Sakana catalog

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

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Google catalog

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

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Fugu Ultra v2

Fugu Ultra v2 is the higher-performance model in Sakana AI's Fugu family. Rather than a single monolithic model, Fugu is a learned multi-agent orchestration system: a language model trained to...

Gemini 3.8 Flash (batch)

Gemini 3.8 Flash is Google's most intelligent Flash model with significant gains from 3.7 Flash across software engineering, agentic tasks, and multi-step reasoning.