Balanced AI Models — Pricing & Comparison
Great all-around models that balance capability with cost. The sweet spot for most production applications.
All Balanced Models — Sorted by Price
| # | Model | Provider | Input $/M | Output $/M | Context | 1M Requests* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Codestral 2025-07-30 | Mistral AI | $0.3 | $0.9 | 128K | $$0.000750 |
| 2 | Mistral Medium 3 2025-05-07 | Mistral AI | $0.4 | $2 | 128K | $$0.001400 |
| 3 | Mistral Medium 3.1 2025-08-01 | Mistral AI | $0.4 | $2 | 131K | $$0.001400 |
| 4 | Llama 3.1 70B 2024-07-23 | Meta (via Together AI) | $0.88 | $0.88 | 128K | $$0.001320 |
| 5 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 2026-02-18 | Anthropic | $3 | $15 | 1000K | $$0.0105 |
| 6 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 2025-09-29 | Anthropic | $3 | $15 | 200K | $$0.0105 |
| 7 | Claude 3.5 Sonnet 2024-10-22 | Anthropic | $3 | $15 | 200K | $$0.0105 |
* Estimated cost for 1M requests at 1,000 input + 500 output tokens each.
Calculate Your Balanced Model Costs
💡 Tips for Using Balanced Models
Balanced models are often the best starting point for new projects
They handle most tasks well — from summarization to code generation to customer support
Consider A/B testing balanced vs flagship models to see if the quality difference justifies the cost
Compare Balanced Models
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a model "balanced"?
Balanced models offer strong performance across a wide range of tasks while keeping costs moderate. They sit between flagship (most capable, most expensive) and efficient (cheapest, simplest).
Can balanced models handle complex tasks?
Yes, balanced models handle most production workloads well. You may only need flagship models for the most demanding creative or analytical tasks.
Which balanced model has the best price-to-performance ratio?
This varies by task. Use our calculator to compare costs, then test a few models on your specific use case to find the best fit.