API cost decision in 10 seconds
Grok 4.20 vs 🔥Nemotron 3 Super (free)
Pick Nemotron 3 Super (free) for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 only if the larger context window matters more.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Nemotron 3 Super (free) for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3 Super (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $2.5 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickNemotron 3 Super (free)
Context-first pickGrok 4.20
Sample savings$2.5100%
10x traffic gap$25
Grok 4.20 has more context, but Nemotron 3 Super (free) saves $2.5 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Nemotron 3 Super (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Grok 4.20 | Nemotron 3 Super (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nemotron 3 Super (free) | $7.5 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Nemotron 3 Super (free) | $3.75 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Nemotron 3 Super (free) | $13.75 | $0 |
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
Nemotron 3 Super (free) has the lower input price, Nemotron 3 Super (free) has the lower output price, and Grok 4.20 offers the larger context window.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.5 for Grok 4.20 and $0 for Nemotron 3 Super (free).
Choose Grok 4.20 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Nemotron 3 Super (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
| Feature | Grok 4.20 (xAI) | 🔥Nemotron 3 Super (free) (NVIDIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $1.25 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $2.5 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2.5 | $0 |
| Context Window | 2M | 1M |
| Release Date | 2026-03-31 | 2026-03-11 |
| Popularity | #9 |
Grok 4.20 is a reasoning model from xAI with industry-leading speed and agentic tool calling capabilities. It combines the lowest hallucination rate on the market with strict prompt adherance, delivering...
NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Super is a 120B-parameter open hybrid MoE model, activating just 12B parameters for maximum compute efficiency and accuracy in complex multi-agent applications. Built on a hybrid Mamba-Transformer...
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Nemotron 3 Super (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3 Super (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $2.5 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nemotron 3 Super (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Nemotron 3 Super (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Grok 4.20 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files. |