API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewSummarize vs Union Alpha

Pick Union Alpha for lower cost; pick Summarize only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-10-13T13:12:15Z Data confirmed: 2026-10-15T01:07:46Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Union Alpha for lower cost; pick Summarize only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Union Alpha is estimated at $0 vs $0.04 for Summarize, saving $0.04 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickUnion Alpha

Context-first pickSummarize

Sample savings$0.04100%

10x traffic gap$0.4

Summarize has more context, but Union Alpha saves $0.04 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.4. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Union Alpha stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Summarize	Union Alpha
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Union Alpha	$0.2	$0
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Union Alpha	$0.04	$0
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Union Alpha	$0.04	$0

Cheaper input Union Alpha $0.04 vs $0 / 1M

Union Alpha is free for input tokens while Summarize costs $0.04 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Tie $0 vs $0 / 1M

Both models report the same output price at $0 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Summarize 1M vs 262.14K

Summarize has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).

Sample workload Union Alpha $0.04 vs $0

Union Alpha is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.04.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Summarize Calculating… Estimated API cost

Union Alpha 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

Union Alpha has the lower input price; both models tie on output price; Summarize offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Union Alpha is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.04 for Summarize and $0 for Union Alpha.

Best Fit

Choose Summarize when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Union Alpha when you care most about lower input-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Union Alpha is estimated at $0 vs $0.04 for Summarize, saving $0.04 (100% lower).
Union Alpha is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.04.
Union Alpha is free for input tokens while Summarize costs $0.04 per 1M tokens.
Both models report the same output price at $0 per 1M tokens.
Summarize has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewSummarize (ScaleDown)	Union Alpha (stealth)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.04	$0
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0	$0
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.04	$0
Context Window	1M	262.14K
Release Date	2026-10-13	2026-09-16

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Union Alpha	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Union Alpha is estimated at $0 vs $0.04 for Summarize, saving $0.04 (100% lower).
High-volume input processing	Union Alpha	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Tie	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Summarize	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.

Larger context near this budget

Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
Ox Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (free) offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
Inkling Small (free) offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

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Cheaper alternatives

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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.

Open provider hubs

ScaleDown catalog

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

Open ScaleDown models

stealth catalog

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

Open stealth models

Summarize

Summarize is an abstractive summarization model from ScaleDown. It condenses long text and documents into a fluent, faithful rewrite rather than lifting sentences from the source, and is suited for...

Union Alpha

Union Alpha is a multimodal model built for research, coding, and agentic workflows, while delivering frontier-level performance across a broad range of general-purpose tasks. Union Alpha is a stealth model....