How we measure.
One task, two bills, one formula, printed. How AVELIN counts cost per task, what the live Arena shows, and how you can check it.
The live Arena
In our live Arena, at list prices.
The Arena runs the same task on a flagship model and on AVELIN, then prices both. Over 122 recorded runs, 24 Sep to 2 Oct 2026, the median run cost 90.1% less on AVELIN. The 75th percentile was 94.4% and the best run 99.4%. Added up, the 122 runs cost 76.6% less.
It counts cost only. You read both answers yourself, so quality is judged separately. In 8 of the 122 runs AVELIN cost more. The comparison model differs by run, and every run is listed.
| AVELIN model | Runs | Median lower cost per task |
|---|---|---|
| Chat fast | 43 | 94.1% |
| Chat pro | 54 | 92.5% |
| Chat ultra | 17 | 62.8% |
| Coding pro | 6 | 33.8% |
| Agents | 2 | Too few runs to report |
The Arena is a public demo with its own privacy page, so do not paste confidential data into it.
Cost per task
Cost per task is the sum of every model call a task makes, each priced at list price. Tokens in and tokens out are multiplied by the published rate for the model that answered. Cached tokens are priced at the cache rate, and reasoning tokens are billed as output. AVELIN list prices are on the price list, as of 3 Oct 2026. We use no negotiated prices, volume discounts or credits, on either side.
cost = (uncached input tokens × input price + cache read tokens × cache read price + cache write tokens × cache write price + output tokens × output price) ÷ 1,000,000
The Decision Layer
AVELIN's own trained decision model reads each request and picks the model it needs: a more capable model when the task needs intelligence, a cheaper one when it is easy, on every request.
- Reads. The opening of a request, about the first 1,500 characters.
- Predicts. The kind of job, from 15 categories, and how hard it is, on a 5-level scale.
- Chooses. The model that fits, a more capable one for hard tasks and a cheaper one for easy tasks. A task of several steps can change model between steps.
- Records. Every decision is logged with its reason, so a choice can be checked afterwards against what each model would have cost.
Check it yourself
Price the AVELIN side of any task with the formula above. Send a prompt to the API, read the token counts in the response and multiply them by the list prices. Run the same prompt on the model you use today, then compare the two answers and the two bills.
curl https://api.avelin.ai/v1/chat/completions \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $AVELIN_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"model": "avelin-pro", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Your prompt here"}]}'In a POC the other side is your own bill, and the report is your own workload at list prices.
Earlier sample: 60 runs on 26 Sep 2026
On 26 Sep 2026 we ran 15 sample tasks, each once against 4 flagship models: 60 runs, with both bills at list prices. The prompts and every AVELIN answer, as recorded, are in one JSON file.
Where AVELIN cost more
| Run | Task | Flagship | AVELIN tier | AVELIN bill | Flagship bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GDPR: a hospital sends patient records to a US AI vendorLegal, hard | C | avelin-ultra | $0.10193 | $0.06337 |
| 2 | GDPR: a hospital sends patient records to a US AI vendorLegal, hard | D | avelin-ultra | $0.09424 | $0.04616 |
All 60 recorded runs
| Run | Task | Flagship | AVELIN tier | AVELIN bill | Flagship bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GDPR: a hospital sends patient records to a US AI vendorLegal, hard | C | avelin-ultra | $0.10193 | $0.06337 |
| 2 | GDPR: a hospital sends patient records to a US AI vendorLegal, hard | D | avelin-ultra | $0.09424 | $0.04616 |
| 3 | Explain an overdraft fee notice to a customerBanking, easy | A | avelin-fast | $0.00030 | $0.00763 |
| 4 | Explain an overdraft fee notice to a customerBanking, easy | B | avelin-fast | $0.00030 | $0.01097 |
| 5 | Explain an overdraft fee notice to a customerBanking, easy | C | avelin-fast | $0.00030 | $0.01049 |
| 6 | Explain an overdraft fee notice to a customerBanking, easy | D | avelin-fast | $0.00618 | $0.03725 |
| 7 | Flag suspicious transactions for an AML reviewBanking, medium | A | avelin-pro | $0.00256 | $0.03922 |
| 8 | Flag suspicious transactions for an AML reviewBanking, medium | B | avelin-pro | $0.00285 | $0.05584 |
| 9 | Flag suspicious transactions for an AML reviewBanking, medium | C | avelin-pro | $0.00243 | $0.01388 |
| 10 | Flag suspicious transactions for an AML reviewBanking, medium | D | avelin-pro | $0.00255 | $0.03229 |
| 11 | Credit decision: DSCR, leverage and collateral for a business loanBanking, hard | A | avelin-pro | $0.00605 | $0.10047 |
| 12 | Credit decision: DSCR, leverage and collateral for a business loanBanking, hard | B | avelin-pro | $0.00794 | $0.09895 |
| 13 | Credit decision: DSCR, leverage and collateral for a business loanBanking, hard | C | avelin-pro | $0.00638 | $0.11715 |
| 14 | Credit decision: DSCR, leverage and collateral for a business loanBanking, hard | D | avelin-pro | $0.00706 | $0.10886 |
| 15 | Fresh facts: today's ECB deposit facility rate and its last changeBanking, medium | A | avelin-fast | $0.01272 | $0.04115 |
| 16 | Fresh facts: today's ECB deposit facility rate and its last changeBanking, medium | B | avelin-fast | $0.01245 | $0.08149 |
| 17 | Fresh facts: today's ECB deposit facility rate and its last changeBanking, medium | C | avelin-fast | $0.01847 | $0.03990 |
| 18 | Fresh facts: today's ECB deposit facility rate and its last changeBanking, medium | D | avelin-fast | $0.01842 | $0.04385 |
| 19 | Rewrite discharge instructions for the patientHealthcare, easy | A | avelin-pro | $0.00111 | $0.01785 |
| 20 | Rewrite discharge instructions for the patientHealthcare, easy | B | avelin-pro | $0.00918 | $0.04129 |
| 21 | Rewrite discharge instructions for the patientHealthcare, easy | C | avelin-pro | $0.00108 | $0.01412 |
| 22 | Rewrite discharge instructions for the patientHealthcare, easy | D | avelin-pro | $0.00101 | $0.05484 |
| 23 | Turn a clinical note into structured JSONHealthcare, medium | A | avelin-pro | $0.00207 | $0.02760 |
| 24 | Turn a clinical note into structured JSONHealthcare, medium | B | avelin-fast | $0.00075 | $0.02393 |
| 25 | Turn a clinical note into structured JSONHealthcare, medium | C | avelin-pro | $0.00991 | $0.01260 |
| 26 | Turn a clinical note into structured JSONHealthcare, medium | D | avelin-fast | $0.00666 | $0.02834 |
| 27 | Medication reconciliation with poor kidney functionHealthcare, hard | A | avelin-ultra | $0.03754 | $0.17942 |
| 28 | Medication reconciliation with poor kidney functionHealthcare, hard | B | avelin-pro | $0.01165 | $0.14904 |
| 29 | Medication reconciliation with poor kidney functionHealthcare, hard | C | avelin-ultra | $0.05371 | $0.10061 |
| 30 | Medication reconciliation with poor kidney functionHealthcare, hard | D | avelin-pro | $0.01064 | $0.06347 |
| 31 | Explain an NDA clause in plain EnglishLegal, easy | A | avelin-pro | $0.00113 | $0.00955 |
| 32 | Explain an NDA clause in plain EnglishLegal, easy | B | avelin-pro | $0.00110 | $0.01845 |
| 33 | Explain an NDA clause in plain EnglishLegal, easy | C | avelin-pro | $0.00105 | $0.00775 |
| 34 | Explain an NDA clause in plain EnglishLegal, easy | D | avelin-pro | $0.00108 | $0.01634 |
| 35 | Compare two liability clauses: what changed, who benefitsLegal, medium | A | avelin-pro | $0.00412 | $0.05856 |
| 36 | Compare two liability clauses: what changed, who benefitsLegal, medium | B | avelin-pro | $0.00392 | $0.10492 |
| 37 | Compare two liability clauses: what changed, who benefitsLegal, medium | C | avelin-pro | $0.00553 | $0.01282 |
| 38 | Compare two liability clauses: what changed, who benefitsLegal, medium | D | avelin-pro | $0.00476 | $0.02836 |
| 39 | GDPR: a hospital sends patient records to a US AI vendorLegal, hard | A | avelin-ultra | $0.16501 | $0.22871 |
| 40 | GDPR: a hospital sends patient records to a US AI vendorLegal, hard | B | avelin-ultra | $0.08758 | $0.36907 |
| 41 | Fresh facts: the EU AI Act duties that already apply to GPAI providersLegal, medium | A | avelin-pro | $0.03017 | $0.13797 |
| 42 | Fresh facts: the EU AI Act duties that already apply to GPAI providersLegal, medium | B | avelin-pro | $0.03036 | $0.22198 |
| 43 | Fresh facts: the EU AI Act duties that already apply to GPAI providersLegal, medium | C | avelin-pro | $0.03027 | $0.05687 |
| 44 | Fresh facts: the EU AI Act duties that already apply to GPAI providersLegal, medium | D | avelin-pro | $0.03052 | $0.08350 |
| 45 | Draft a reply to this customer complaintGeneral, easy | A | avelin-pro | $0.00096 | $0.00934 |
| 46 | Draft a reply to this customer complaintGeneral, easy | B | avelin-pro | $0.00096 | $0.02518 |
| 47 | Draft a reply to this customer complaintGeneral, easy | C | avelin-pro | $0.00085 | $0.00778 |
| 48 | Draft a reply to this customer complaintGeneral, easy | D | avelin-pro | $0.00076 | $0.02302 |
| 49 | Extract the fields from this invoiceGeneral, easy | A | avelin-fast | $0.00031 | $0.00626 |
| 50 | Extract the fields from this invoiceGeneral, easy | B | avelin-fast | $0.00031 | $0.00820 |
| 51 | Extract the fields from this invoiceGeneral, easy | C | avelin-fast | $0.00031 | $0.01675 |
| 52 | Extract the fields from this invoiceGeneral, easy | D | avelin-pro | $0.00059 | $0.01372 |
| 53 | Summarise this contract clause for the CFOGeneral, medium | A | avelin-pro | $0.00088 | $0.01449 |
| 54 | Summarise this contract clause for the CFOGeneral, medium | B | avelin-pro | $0.00100 | $0.02420 |
| 55 | Summarise this contract clause for the CFOGeneral, medium | C | avelin-pro | $0.00105 | $0.00753 |
| 56 | Summarise this contract clause for the CFOGeneral, medium | D | avelin-pro | $0.00113 | $0.01620 |
| 57 | Write the SQL for last month's churn by segmentGeneral, medium | A | avelin-coding-pro | $0.00767 | $0.03360 |
| 58 | Write the SQL for last month's churn by segmentGeneral, medium | B | avelin-coding-pro | $0.01306 | $0.04848 |
| 59 | Write the SQL for last month's churn by segmentGeneral, medium | C | avelin-coding-pro | $0.01659 | $0.06667 |
| 60 | Write the SQL for last month's churn by segmentGeneral, medium | D | avelin-coding-pro | $0.03075 | $0.06307 |
Download the 60 runs as a CSV file. It has every pair of bills, the search fee and the step bills.
Questions about the method
How is cost per task counted?
Cost per task is the sum of every model call a task makes, each priced at list price. Tokens in and out are multiplied by the published rate for the model that answered, cached tokens are priced at the cache rate, and reasoning tokens are billed as output.
What does the live Arena measure?
In our live Arena, at list prices. The Arena runs the same task on a flagship model and on AVELIN and prices both. Over 122 recorded runs from 24 Sep to 2 Oct 2026, the median run cost 90.1% less. It counts cost only, and quality is judged separately: you read both answers yourself.
What does the decision model read and predict?
It reads the opening of a request, about the first 1,500 characters. It predicts the kind of job, from 15 categories, and how hard it is, on a 5-level scale. The Decision Layer then picks the model that fits and logs the reason.
Can I check the figures myself?
Yes. Every Arena run is listed in a public CSV and on the Arena scoreboard. You can also send a prompt to the API, read the token counts in the response and apply the formula on this page.
How does a POC measure cost?
A POC runs the Decision Layer on a sample of your own tasks and prices each task at list price next to your current bill. The report lists the tasks where the Decision Layer costs more first.
Measure it on your own tasks.
A POC runs the Decision Layer on a sample of your tasks and prices each one next to your current bill.