Chinese AI models and what they cost
inclusionAI: Ling 3.0 Flash is the cheapest option at $0.021 per million input tokens. DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, GLM, MiniMax and the rest of the Chinese open-weight lineage. These models undercut Western equivalents by an order of magnitude and are the fastest-growing segment of the market, yet most English-language directories barely cover them.
114 models qualify
Ranked by blended cost - input weighted 75%, output 25%.
| # | Model | Blended / 1M | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Context | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ling 3.0 Flash inclusionAI | $0.032 | $0.021 | $0.063 | 262K | ReasoningToolsOpen weights |
| 2 | GLM 5.3 Flash Z.ai | $0.053 | $0.046 | $0.074 | 1.0M | ReasoningToolsVisionOpen weights |
| 3 | Qwen3.7 Flash Qwen | $0.055 | $0.030 | $0.130 | 1M | ReasoningToolsVision |
| 4 | Hy-MT2-1.8B Tencent | $0.077 | $0.044 | $0.177 | 8K | Open weights |
| 5 | Ling 3.0 Flash VL inclusionAI | $0.090 | $0.060 | $0.180 | 131K | ReasoningToolsVisionOpen weights |
| 6 | Ling 3.1 Flash inclusionAI | $0.112 | $0.075 | $0.225 | 1M | ReasoningTools |
| 7 | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 DeepSeek | $0.114 | $0.091 | $0.182 | 1.0M | ReasoningToolsOpen weights |
| 8 | Qwen3.5-Flash Qwen | $0.114 | $0.065 | $0.260 | 1M | ReasoningToolsVision |
| 9 | $0.123 | $0.070 | $0.280 | 262K | ToolsOpen weights | |
| 10 | UI-TARS 7B ByteDance | $0.125 | $0.100 | $0.200 | 128K | VisionOpen weights |
| 11 | $0.125 | $0.100 | $0.200 | 33K | ToolsOpen weights | |
| 12 | Hy-MT2-30B-A3B Tencent | $0.129 | $0.074 | $0.295 | 8K | Open weights |
| 13 | Hy-MT2-7B Tencent | $0.129 | $0.074 | $0.295 | 8K | Open weights |
| 14 | Qwen3 32B Qwen | $0.130 | $0.080 | $0.280 | 131K | ReasoningToolsOpen weights |
| 15 | Seed 1.6 Flash ByteDance Seed | $0.131 | $0.075 | $0.300 | 262K | ReasoningToolsVision |
| 16 | GLM 4.7 Flash Z.ai | $0.145 | $0.061 | $0.400 | 200K | ReasoningToolsOpen weights |
| 17 | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 DeepSeek | $0.149 | $0.119 | $0.238 | 1.0M | ReasoningToolsOpen weights |
| 18 | Step 3.5 Flash StepFun | $0.150 | $0.100 | $0.300 | 262K | ReasoningToolsOpen weights |
| 19 | $0.150 | $0.100 | $0.300 | 262K | ToolsOpen weights | |
| 20 | Qwen3 14B Qwen | $0.150 | $0.120 | $0.240 | 41K | ReasoningToolsOpen weights |
| 21 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash DeepSeek | $0.159 | $0.045 | $0.500 | 1.0M | ReasoningToolsVisionOpen weights |
| 22 | Seed-2.0-Mini ByteDance Seed | $0.175 | $0.100 | $0.400 | 262K | ReasoningToolsVision |
| 23 | MiMo-V2.6-Flash Xiaomi | $0.175 | $0.140 | $0.280 | 1.1M | ReasoningToolsVisionOpen weights |
| 24 | Qwen3.5-9B Qwen | $0.190 | $0.170 | $0.250 | 262K | ReasoningToolsVisionOpen weights |
| 25 | $0.205 | $0.090 | $0.550 | 262K | ToolsOpen weights |
Frequently asked
What is the cheapest LLM for Chinese-developed models?
inclusionAI: Ling 3.0 Flash at $0.021 per million input tokens and $0.063 per million output tokens, with a 262K token context window.
How many models qualify for Chinese-developed models?
114 of the 359 models tracked here meet the criteria for this list.
How much do prices vary within this category?
By roughly 190×, from Ling 3.0 Flash at the bottom to Qwen3.8 Max Prime at the top.