API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewXing4.0 29B A4B (free) vs GPT-6 Astra (batch)

Pick Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) for lower cost; pick GPT-6 Astra (batch) 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 Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) for lower cost; pick GPT-6 Astra (batch) only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $17.5 for GPT-6 Astra (batch), saving $17.5 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickXing4.0 29B A4B (free)
Context-first pickGPT-6 Astra (batch)
Sample savings$17.5100%
10x traffic gap$175

GPT-6 Astra (batch) has more context, but Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) saves $17.5 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $175. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickXing4.0 29B A4B (free)GPT-6 Astra (batch)
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputXing4.0 29B A4B (free)$0$37.5
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputXing4.0 29B A4B (free)$0$30
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputXing4.0 29B A4B (free)$0$130
Cheaper input Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) $0 vs $5 / 1M

Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is free for input tokens while GPT-6 Astra (batch) costs $5 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) $0 vs $25 / 1M

Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is free for output tokens while GPT-6 Astra (batch) costs $25 per 1M tokens.

Larger context GPT-6 Astra (batch) 262.14K vs 1.05M

GPT-6 Astra (batch) has 787.86K more context (4.01x larger).

Sample workload Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) $0 vs $17.5

Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $17.5.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) Calculating… Estimated API cost
GPT-6 Astra (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

Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) has the lower input price; Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) has the lower output price; GPT-6 Astra (batch) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) and $17.5 for GPT-6 Astra (batch).

Best Fit

Choose Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose GPT-6 Astra (batch) when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $17.5 for GPT-6 Astra (batch), saving $17.5 (100% lower).
  • Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $17.5.
  • Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is free for input tokens while GPT-6 Astra (batch) costs $5 per 1M tokens.
  • Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is free for output tokens while GPT-6 Astra (batch) costs $25 per 1M tokens.
  • GPT-6 Astra (batch) has 787.86K more context (4.01x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewXing4.0 29B A4B (free)
(XingChen)
GPT-6 Astra (batch)
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0$5
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0$25
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0$17.5
Context Window262.14K1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionXing4.0 29B A4B (free)On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Xing4.0 29B A4B (free) is estimated at $0 vs $17.5 for GPT-6 Astra (batch), saving $17.5 (100% lower).
High-volume input processingXing4.0 29B A4B (free)Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsXing4.0 29B A4B (free)Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-6 Astra (batch)A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-6 Astra (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-6 Astra (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-6 Astra (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.06.
  • gpt-oss-20b (batch) can replace GPT-6 Astra (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.08.
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Provider catalogs

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XingChen catalog

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OpenAI catalog

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Xing4.0 29B A4B (free)

Xing4.0-29B-A4B is an open-weight mixture-of-experts language model from China Telecom's AI team (TeleAI) and the successor to the TeleChat series. It has 29B total parameters with 4B active per token...

GPT-6 Astra (batch)

GPT-6 Astra is OpenAI's flagship model for demanding end-to-end work. It is suited for advanced analysis, software engineering, deep research, scientific work, and document creation, with particular strengths in long-horizon...