Gemini 3.1 Pro vs Nemotron Nano 12B VL: API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for Gemini 3.1 Pro (Google) and Nemotron Nano 12B VL (Nvidia NIM). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Mar 11, 2026
Interactive Cost Calculator
Fills in typical token counts for a workload type
Tokens in each prompt sent to the model
Tokens generated in each response
Total API calls per month
Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: Nemotron Nano 12B VL at $5.00/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestNemotron Nano 12B VL | Nvidia NIM | $5.00 | $0.000500 | $2.00 | $3.00 | 93.8% | Alerts coming soon |
Gemini 3.1 Pro | $80.00 | $0.008000 | $20.00 | $60.00 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Nemotron Nano 12B VL | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $2.00/M | $0.20/M | Nemotron Nano 12B VL |
| Output | $12.00/M | $0.60/M | Nemotron Nano 12B VL |
| Cached input | $0.20/M | N/A | — |
| Batch input | $1.00/M | N/A | — |
| Batch output | $6.00/M | N/A | — |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-08 – 2026-03-11
Cost Breakdown by Usage Volume
Estimated monthly costs at different request volumes, assuming 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request. Adjust in the calculator above for your specific use case.
| Volume | Gemini 3.1 ProMonthly | Nemotron Nano 12B VLMonthly | Gemini 3.1 ProPer request | Nemotron Nano 12B VLPer request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $8.00 | $0.50 | $0.008000 | $0.000500 |
| 10K requests/mo | $80.00 | $5.00 | $0.008000 | $0.000500 |
| 100K requests/mo | $800.00 | $50.00 | $0.008000 | $0.000500 |
| 1M requests/mo | $8,000.00 | $500.00 | $0.008000 | $0.000500 |
Green values indicate the lower-cost option at each volume tier. Cost per request is calculated at 1,000 input + 500 output tokens using standard (non-batch, non-cached) pricing.
Price History
Input price per 1M tokensWhen to Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro
by Google
- Document summarization
- RAG / Semantic search
- Code generation
Input / 1M tokens
$2.00/M
Output / 1M tokens
$12.00/M
Context window
2,097,152
Tier
premium
When to Choose Nemotron Nano 12B VL
by Nvidia NIM
- Content Creation
- Data extraction
- General chatbot
Input / 1M tokens
$0.20/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.60/M
Context window
128,000
Tier
budget
Key Differences Beyond Price
Cost is only one factor in choosing an AI model. Context window size, rate limits, supported features, and latency all affect whether a model fits your use case.
| Capability | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Nemotron Nano 12B VL |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 2,097,152 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 65,536 tokens | 8,192 tokens |
| Performance tier | Premium | Budget |
| Vision / image input | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | Yes | No |
| Batch API (50% discount) | Yes | No |
| Extended reasoning | Yes | No |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
| Rate limit (req/min) | 1,000 | Not published |
Gemini 3.1 Pro notes
Preview model. Tiered pricing: prompts over 200K tokens billed at $4.00 input / $18.00 output.
Nemotron Nano 12B VL notes
Nemotron Nano 12B VL on NVIDIA NIM. Budget-tier multimodal model supporting vision inputs, optimized for efficient image-and-text inference on NVIDIA hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gemini 3.1 Pro cheaper than Nemotron Nano 12B VL?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), Nemotron Nano 12B VL costs $50.00/month versus $800.00/month for Gemini 3.1 Pro — a 94% saving. Your actual savings will vary based on your token profile; output-heavy workloads amplify differences in output pricing.
Which model has a larger context window, Gemini 3.1 Pro or Nemotron Nano 12B VL?
Gemini 3.1 Pro has a larger context window at 2,097,152 tokens, compared to 128,000 tokens for Nemotron Nano 12B VL. A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do Gemini 3.1 Pro and Nemotron Nano 12B VL support the Batch API?
Gemini 3.1 Pro supports the Batch API (50% discount for async processing), while Nemotron Nano 12B VL does not. If your workload tolerates up to 24-hour latency, routing to Gemini 3.1 Pro with batch pricing could significantly cut costs versus Nemotron Nano 12B VL's standard rate.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
Gemini 3.1 Pro supports prompt caching at $0.20/M for cached input, while Nemotron Nano 12B VL does not offer prompt caching. For RAG applications or chatbots with large, repeated context, Gemini 3.1 Pro's caching capability can substantially reduce effective costs.
What are the best use cases for Gemini 3.1 Pro vs Nemotron Nano 12B VL?
Gemini 3.1 Pro is best suited for Document summarization, RAG / Semantic search, Code generation, while Nemotron Nano 12B VL is optimized for Content Creation, Data extraction, General chatbot. Choose based on which use case matches your primary workload — and validate with the cost calculator above to confirm the total monthly spend fits your budget.
What is the cost per request for Gemini 3.1 Pro vs Nemotron Nano 12B VL?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — Gemini 3.1 Pro costs $0.008000 per request and Nemotron Nano 12B VL costs $0.000500 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $800.00 and $50.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
Gemini 3.1 Pro vs Nemotron Nano 12B VL: Summary
When comparing Gemini 3.1 Pro and Nemotron Nano 12B VL for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. Nemotron Nano 12B VL offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $50.00/month, compared to $800.00/month for Gemini 3.1 Pro.
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. Gemini 3.1 Pro charges $2.00/M for input tokens and $12.00/M for output tokens. Nemotron Nano 12B VL charges $0.20/M input and $0.60/M output. If your workload is output-heavy (more tokens generated than consumed as input), the model with the lower output price compounds cost savings significantly at scale.
Prompt caching is supported by Gemini 3.1 Pro but not Nemotron Nano 12B VL. For workloads with large, repeated system prompts or document context — such as RAG pipelines or multi-turn conversations with a fixed knowledge base — prompt caching can reduce effective input costs by 60–90%, which may change the cost ranking between these two models at your specific usage pattern.
Context window capacity differs between the two: Gemini 3.1 Pro supports up to 2,097,152 tokens in a single request, versus 128,000 tokens for Nemotron Nano 12B VL. A larger context window is essential for document summarization, large codebase analysis, and multi-document retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) applications.
Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to enter your actual token usage and monthly request volume for a precise cost comparison tailored to your workload. Adjust for batch API discounts and prompt caching to find the most cost-effective option for your specific deployment.
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Relevant Use Cases
See cost recommendations for workloads where Gemini 3.1 Pro or Nemotron Nano 12B VL is recommended.