AI 2026 China AI Model API Price Comparison: 7 Major Platforms Tested, Lowest 0.2 Yuan/Million Tokens (With Money-Saving Guide)
📅 Last Updated: May 26, 2026 | This article continuously tracks domestic large model API price changes. Please refer to each platform’s official page for the latest information.
Introduction
In 2026, the domestic AI large model market competition has intensified, with major platforms adjusting their pricing strategies. From the “price killer” DeepSeek at 0.2 yuan/million tokens, to Volcano Engine Doubao ushering in the “li pricing” era, developers now have more cost-effective choices.
This article is based on the latest data from May 2026, providing an in-depth comparison of API prices across 7 major mainstream platforms including Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Volcano Engine Doubao, DeepSeek, Kimi Moonshot, MiniMax, and Qiniu Cloud. The analysis is categorized by model tier to help you find the most suitable AI service.
📊 Price Comparison Overview
Entry-Level/Lightweight Models (Simple Tasks, High-Frequency Calls)
| Platform | Model | Input Price | Output Price | Free Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volcano Engine – Doubao | Doubao-Seed-1.6-Lite | 0.3 yuan | 0.6 yuan | – |
| Alibaba Cloud | Qwen-Flash | 0.15-0.2 yuan | 1.5-2 yuan | 1 million |
| Tencent Cloud | Hunyuan-Lite | Free | Free | – |
| DeepSeek | V3.2 (Cache Hit) | 0.2 yuan | 3 yuan | – |
💡 Recommendation: For cost priority, choose Doubao or Alibaba Flash. For completely free, choose Tencent Hunyuan-Lite.
Mid-Range Models (Daily Applications, Best Value)
| Platform | Model | Input Price | Output Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek | V3.2 | 2 yuan | 3 yuan |
| Alibaba Cloud | Qwen-Plus | 0.8-4 yuan | 2-24 yuan |
| MiniMax | M2/M2.5 | 2.1 yuan | 8.4 yuan |
| Kimi | K2 | 4 yuan | 16 yuan |
💡 Recommendation: DeepSeek V3.2 offers the best value for money.
Flagship/High-End Models (Complex Tasks, Best Performance)
| Platform | Model | Input Price | Output Price | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax | M2.5 | 2.1 yuan | 8.4 yuan | 8% of Claude’s cost |
| Alibaba Cloud | Qwen-Max | 2.4-7 yuan | 9.6-28 yuan | Complete model matrix |
| Kimi | K2.5 | 4 yuan | 21 yuan | Strong long-context capability |
Reasoning/Thinking Models (Complex Reasoning, Math, Logic)
| Platform | Model | Input Price | Output Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimi | K2-Thinking | 0.6-4 yuan | 2.5 yuan |
| Alibaba Cloud | QwQ-Plus | 1.6 yuan | 4 yuan |
| DeepSeek | R1 | 4 yuan | 16 yuan |
💡 Recommendation: Kimi K2-Thinking is most cost-effective when cache hits.
Code-Specific Models
| Platform | Model | Input Price | Output Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alibaba Cloud | Coder-Turbo | 2 yuan | 6 yuan |
| Alibaba Cloud | Coder-Plus | 4-20 yuan | 16-200 yuan |
Long Context Models (256K+)
| Platform | Model | Max Context | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimi | K2 | 256K+ | 4/16 yuan |
| Alibaba Cloud | Qwen-Plus | 1M | 4/24 yuan |
🏆 Recommendations by Use Case
| Use Case | Preferred Platform | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Cost priority, simple tasks | Volcano Engine Doubao | 0.3/0.6 yuan lowest on the market |
| Daily applications, balanced | DeepSeek V3.2 | 2/3 yuan great value |
| Complex reasoning/math | Kimi K2-Thinking | Cache hit 0.6/2.5 yuan |
| Code generation/assistance | Alibaba Coder-Turbo | Specialized optimization, 2/6 yuan |
| Long document analysis | Kimi K2 | Strong long-text capability |
| Agent/multi-turn dialogue | MiniMax M2.5 | High TPS, low cost |
| Completely free testing | Tencent Hunyuan-Lite | Lite completely free |
| Enterprise applications | Alibaba Cloud | Complete model matrix, stable service |
💰 Money-Saving Tips
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Prioritize using cache mechanisms. DeepSeek cache hits cost only 0.2 yuan/million tokens. Kimi K2-Thinking cache hits also significantly reduce costs.
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Fully utilize each platform’s free quota. Tencent Hunyuan Lite is completely free. Alibaba Cloud Flash gives 1 million tokens for testing and validation.
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Choose lightweight models for simple tasks, such as Qwen-Flash, Doubao Lite, etc. Avoid using flagship models for simple Q&A.
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Use Batch API for batch calls. Alibaba Cloud Tongyi Qianwen supports half-price Batch mode, suitable for non-real-time tasks.
📈 Platform Feature Analysis
Alibaba Cloud – Tongyi Qianwen Series
Advantages: Most complete model matrix, supports Batch half-price and cache discounts, sufficient free quota
Suitable for: Enterprise applications, scenarios requiring multiple model switching
→ Visit Alibaba Cloud Bailian Console
DeepSeek – Depth Seek
Advantages: “Price killer”, 0.2 yuan/million when cache hits, over 50% price reduction in September 2025
Suitable for: Cost-sensitive applications, scenarios with cache reuse
→ Visit DeepSeek Open Platform
Kimi – Moonshot
Advantages: Industry-leading long-text processing capability, K2.5 revenue exceeded entire 2025 within 20 days of launch
Suitable for: Long document analysis, complex reasoning tasks
MiniMax
Advantages: Cost only 8% of Claude, TPS around 100, suitable for Agent applications
Suitable for: Agent applications, multi-turn dialogue, real-time interaction
Volcano Engine – Doubao
Advantages: Lowest price on the market (0.3/0.6 yuan), pioneering the “li pricing” era
Suitable for: High-frequency calls, cost-priority scenarios
Tencent Cloud – Hunyuan
Advantages: Lite model completely free, Standard recently reduced by 87.5%
Suitable for: Testing and validation, multimodal applications
🔮 2026 Price Trend Predictions
-
Prices will continue to decline, “li pricing” becomes the norm. Major platforms will further reduce unit prices to compete for developers.
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Free quota competition intensifies. More platforms will launch time-limited free or permanently free basic models.
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Reasoning/thinking model prices gradually decline. As technology matures, complex reasoning costs will approach current mid-range model levels.
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Cache and discount mechanisms become more diverse. Platforms will introduce more tiered pricing and bulk discount plans.
Summary
The 2026 domestic AI large model market presents a diversified competition landscape:
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Extreme low price: Volcano Engine Doubao, DeepSeek (cache hits)
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Overall value: DeepSeek V3.2, Alibaba Cloud Plus
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High-end performance: MiniMax M2.5, Alibaba Cloud Max
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Long text: Kimi K2 series
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Free testing: Tencent Hunyuan-Lite
Selection advice: First clarify your use case, then compare models at the same tier. Fully utilize free quotas and discount mechanisms to significantly reduce AI application costs.
References
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Alibaba Cloud Bailian Official Pricing - Complete Tongyi Qianwen series price list
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DeepSeek API Official Documentation - Depth Seek API integration guide
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Kimi Moonshot Open Platform - K2 series model pricing and integration
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MiniMax Open Platform - M2/M2.5 model API documentation
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Volcano Engine Doubao Large Model - Doubao model pricing and deployment
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Tencent Cloud Hunyuan Large Model - Hunyuan series API pricing
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Qiniu Cloud AI Platform - Qiniu Cloud AI services
Data in this article is current as of May 2026. Prices may change at any time. Please refer to each platform’s official page for the latest information.
