Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for input tokens while Solar Mini 4 costs $0.05 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewSolar Mini 4 vs Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free)
Pick Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) for lower cost; pick Solar Mini 4 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 Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) for lower cost; pick Solar Mini 4 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.15 for Solar Mini 4, saving $0.15 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickLing 3.0 Flash VL (free)
Context-first pickSolar Mini 4
Sample savings$0.15100%
10x traffic gap$1.5
Solar Mini 4 has more context, but Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) saves $0.15 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Solar Mini 4 | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | $0.35 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | $0.25 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | $1.05 | $0 |
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for output tokens while Solar Mini 4 costs $0.2 per 1M tokens.
Solar Mini 4 has 262.14K more context (2x larger).
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.15.
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
Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) has the lower input price; Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) has the lower output price; Solar Mini 4 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.15 for Solar Mini 4 and $0 for Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free).
Choose Solar Mini 4 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.15 for Solar Mini 4, saving $0.15 (100% lower).
- Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.15.
- Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for input tokens while Solar Mini 4 costs $0.05 per 1M tokens.
- Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is free for output tokens while Solar Mini 4 costs $0.2 per 1M tokens.
- Solar Mini 4 has 262.14K more context (2x larger).
| Feature | NewSolar Mini 4 (Upstage) | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) (inclusionAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.05 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.2 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.15 | $0 |
| Context Window | 524.29K | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.15 for Solar Mini 4, saving $0.15 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Ling 3.0 Flash VL (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Solar Mini 4 | 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.
- GPT-6 Luna Pro (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 offers 1.05M context with $0.18 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
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