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Price per 1M tokens is meaningless
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Overview
Comparing AI models by price per 1M tokens can be misleading due to differences in tokenization methods among various labs. Each tokenizer affects how text is divided into tokens, which can significantly influence overall costs.
Summary from janilowski.pl.
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janilowski.pl
Price per 1M tokens is meaningless
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Community reactions
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Hacker News · janilowski.pl
Hacker News discussion ↗
Historical count: 5 · 5 saved in sample · Historical sample
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Based on 5 sampled comments from this thread. Analyzed 2026-07-07.
- Praise: Some commenters recognize that cost per benchmark task provides valuable insight, emphasizing that knowing when a model is ineffective saves time and resources.
- Praise: The nuanced discussion about token generation versus prompt processing speed highlights the importance of efficiency in local LLMs, driving home the need for smarter models that meet user goals quickly.
- Concern: Many feel the current focus on cost per token is misleading, arguing it fails to account for the complexities of model performance and real-world application.
- Concern: The skepticism around black box models is palpable, with users lamenting the unpredictable nature of token consumption, leading to confusion and potential waste.