Nemotron Nano 12B VL vs NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra: API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for Nemotron Nano 12B VL (Nvidia NIM) and NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra (Nvidia NIM). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Jun 26, 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 | 68.8% | Alerts coming soon |
NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra | Nvidia NIM | $16.00 | $0.001600 | $5.00 | $11.00 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | Nemotron Nano 12B VL | NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $0.20/M | $0.50/M | Nemotron Nano 12B VL |
| Output | $0.60/M | $2.20/M | Nemotron Nano 12B VL |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-11 – 2026-06-26
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 | Nemotron Nano 12B VLMonthly | NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 UltraMonthly | Nemotron Nano 12B VLPer request | NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 UltraPer request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $0.50 | $1.60 | $0.000500 | $0.001600 |
| 10K requests/mo | $5.00 | $16.00 | $0.000500 | $0.001600 |
| 100K requests/mo | $50.00 | $160.00 | $0.000500 | $0.001600 |
| 1M requests/mo | $500.00 | $1,600.00 | $0.000500 | $0.001600 |
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 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
When to Choose NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra
by Nvidia NIM
- General chatbot
Input / 1M tokens
$0.50/M
Output / 1M tokens
$2.20/M
Context window
1,000,000
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 | Nemotron Nano 12B VL | NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 8,192 tokens | 16,384 tokens |
| Performance tier | Budget | Budget |
| Vision / image input | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | No | No |
| Batch API (50% discount) | No | No |
| Extended reasoning | No | Yes |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
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 Nemotron Nano 12B VL cheaper than NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), Nemotron Nano 12B VL costs $50.00/month versus $160.00/month for NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra — a 69% 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, Nemotron Nano 12B VL or NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra?
NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra has a larger context window at 1,000,000 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 Nemotron Nano 12B VL and NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra support the Batch API?
Neither Nemotron Nano 12B VL nor NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra currently supports a batch API with discounted pricing. For batch-eligible alternatives, consider models from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google that include batch API support.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
Neither Nemotron Nano 12B VL nor NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra currently supports prompt caching. For prompt-caching capable alternatives, consider Claude models from Anthropic or GPT-4o from OpenAI.
What are the best use cases for Nemotron Nano 12B VL vs NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Both models are well-suited for General chatbot. Nemotron Nano 12B VL is particularly strong for Content Creation, Data extraction. NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra is favored for similar workflows. At the same quality level, the lower-cost model is usually preferable; use this page's calculator to compare total monthly spend at your volume.
What is the cost per request for Nemotron Nano 12B VL vs NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — Nemotron Nano 12B VL costs $0.000500 per request and NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $0.001600 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $50.00 and $160.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
Nemotron Nano 12B VL vs NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra: Summary
When comparing Nemotron Nano 12B VL and NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra 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 $160.00/month for NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra.
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. Nemotron Nano 12B VL charges $0.20/M for input tokens and $0.60/M for output tokens. NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra charges $0.50/M input and $2.20/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.
Context window capacity differs between the two: NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra supports up to 1,000,000 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.
Related Comparisons
Explore other model comparisons from the same providers or performance tiers.
Related Provider Pages
View complete pricing tables and model lineups for the providers behind these models.
Relevant Use Cases
See cost recommendations for workloads where Nemotron Nano 12B VL or NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Ultra is recommended.