Hy3 preview is $0.002 cheaper per 1M input tokens (3.1% lower; 1.03x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥Hy3 preview vs Phi 4
Pick Phi 4 for lower cost; pick Hy3 preview 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 Phi 4 for lower cost; pick Hy3 preview only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Phi 4 is estimated at $0.14 vs $0.17 for Hy3 preview, saving $0.03 (19.6% lower).
Cost-first pickPhi 4
Context-first pickHy3 preview
Sample savings$0.0319.6%
10x traffic gap$0.33
Hy3 preview has more context, but Phi 4 saves $0.03 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.33. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Phi 4 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Hy3 preview | Phi 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Phi 4 | $0.42 | $0.4 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Phi 4 | $0.27 | $0.21 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Phi 4 | $1.11 | $0.77 |
Phi 4 is $0.07 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
Hy3 preview has 245.76K more context (16x larger).
Phi 4 is $0.03 cheaper on the standard workload (19.6% 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
Hy3 preview has the lower input price; Phi 4 has the lower output price; Hy3 preview offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Phi 4 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.17 for Hy3 preview and $0.14 for Phi 4.
Choose Hy3 preview when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
Choose Phi 4 when you care most about lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Phi 4 is estimated at $0.14 vs $0.17 for Hy3 preview, saving $0.03 (19.6% lower).
- Phi 4 is $0.03 cheaper on the standard workload (19.6% lower).
- Hy3 preview is $0.002 cheaper per 1M input tokens (3.1% lower; 1.03x difference).
- Phi 4 is $0.07 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
- Hy3 preview has 245.76K more context (16x larger).
| Feature | 🔥Hy3 preview (Tencent) | Phi 4 (Microsoft) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.063 | $0.065 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.21 | $0.14 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.17 | $0.14 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 16.38K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #2 | #139 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Phi 4 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Phi 4 is estimated at $0.14 vs $0.17 for Hy3 preview, saving $0.03 (19.6% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Hy3 preview | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Phi 4 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Hy3 preview | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #3
- MiniMax M3 · MiniMax · #4
- DeepSeek V4 Pro · DeepSeek · #5
Cheaper alternatives
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