--- title: "beam-1.0-501b-a23b - Model Details & Comparison" description: "beam-1.0-501b-a23b from OpenRouter: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models." url: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/beam-1.0-501b-a23b" markdown: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/beam-1.0-501b-a23b.md" --- # beam-1.0-501b-a23b - Model Details & Comparison > beam-1.0-501b-a23b from OpenRouter: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models. ## Important Links - [View MCP Gateway](https://www.getmaxim.ai/resources/mcp-gateway.md) - [Features](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/#features) - [Enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise) - [Pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing.md) - [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai) - [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost) - [Book a Demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo) ## About beam-1.0-501b-a23b beam-1.0-501b-a23b is a chat model from OpenRouter, one of 491 chat models they offer. It is priced at $0.25 per 1M input tokens and $1.00 per 1M output tokens, ranking 1342 out of 4042 chat models by cost and cheaper than 66% of models in this category. beam-1.0-501b-a23b supports function calling, reasoning, prompt caching, structured output. Its 1,049K-token context window is in the top 15% among chat models. ## Specifications - **OpenRouter Provider.** - **Chat Mode.** - **1,048,576 Max Input Tokens.** - **131,072 Max Output Tokens.** - **131,072 Max Tokens.** - **$0.25 / 1M tokens Input Price.** - **$1.00 / 1M tokens Output Price.** ## Capabilities beam-1.0-501b-a23b supports: Function Calling, Reasoning, Prompt Caching, Response Schema, Tool Choice. ## beam-1.0-501b-a23b Pricing Overview At $0.25 per 1M input tokens and $1.00 per 1M output tokens, beam-1.0-501b-a23b ranks 1342 out of 4042 chat models by input cost. It is more affordable compared to the median of $0.60 for chat models, and is cheaper than 66% of models in this category. beam-1.0-501b-a23b is one of 491 OpenRouter chat models, with support for function calling, reasoning, prompt caching, structured output. its 1,049K-token context window places it in the top 15% of chat models. ## Models to Compare Alternatives to beam-1.0-501b-a23b with comparable capabilities. | Model | Provider | Input $/1M | Output $/1M | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0 | AWS Bedrock | $0.30 | $2.50 | | gpt-5.4-nano | Azure | $0.20 | $1.25 | | gpt-5.4-nano-2026-03-17 | Azure | $0.20 | $1.25 | | gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07 | Azure | $0.28 | $2.20 | | gpt-5-mini | Azure | $0.25 | $2.00 | - [Compare gpt-5.4-nano](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/azure/gpt-5.4-nano.md) - [Compare gpt-5.4-nano-2026-03-17](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/azure/gpt-5.4-nano-2026-03-17.md) - [Compare gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/azure/gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07.md) - [Compare gpt-5-mini](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/azure/gpt-5-mini.md) ## Related Resources - [Calculate beam-1.0-501b-a23b costs](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/openrouter/model/beam-1.0-501b-a23b.md) - [Check OpenRouter status](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/provider-status/openrouter.md) - [All OpenRouter pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/openrouter.md) ## FAQ ### Is beam-1.0-501b-a23b cheaper than amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0? Yes. beam-1.0-501b-a23b costs $0.25 per 1M input tokens compared to amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0's $0.30 per 1M input tokens, making it 20% more affordable. Both are chat models and share support for vision, function calling, reasoning, prompt caching, structured output. ### How does beam-1.0-501b-a23b pricing compare to the average chat model? beam-1.0-501b-a23b input pricing is $0.25 per 1M tokens, which is 58% below the median of $0.60 for chat models. It ranks 1342 out of 4042 chat models by input cost, making it cheaper than 66% of models in this category. For output, it costs $1.00 per 1M tokens compared to the median of $1.80. ### What makes beam-1.0-501b-a23b different from other OpenRouter models? Among OpenRouter's 491 chat models, beam-1.0-501b-a23b ranks 146 by input cost. ### What are the best alternatives to beam-1.0-501b-a23b? The most comparable chat models to beam-1.0-501b-a23b are: amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0 from AWS Bedrock ($0.30/1M input tokens); gpt-5.4-nano from Azure ($0.20/1M input tokens); gpt-5.4-nano-2026-03-17 from Azure ($0.20/1M input tokens); gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07 from Azure ($0.28/1M input tokens). These alternatives were selected based on similar capabilities, pricing, and provider diversity. You can compare any of these models in detail using the Bifrost Model Library. ### How large is beam-1.0-501b-a23b's context window? beam-1.0-501b-a23b supports up to 1,048,576 input tokens, placing it in the top 15% of chat models by context window size (rank 439 of 4003). This makes it suitable for processing long documents, extensive code repositories, or maintaining detailed conversation histories. ### How do I check if OpenRouter is down? You can monitor OpenRouter service health in real time on the Bifrost OpenRouter Status page. It tracks current component status, active incidents, and historical reliability data pulled from the official status page every 60 seconds. ### How do I calculate beam-1.0-501b-a23b costs? beam-1.0-501b-a23b is priced based on input and output tokens. Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to estimate costs for your specific workload. Enter your expected input and output tokens volume and the calculator will show the total cost breakdown. For reference, processing 1M input tokens costs $0.25 and generating 1M output tokens costs $1.00. ## Related Resources - [Model library](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library.md) - [LLM cost calculator](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator.md) - [Docs: Bifrost docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai) - [GitHub: maximhq/bifrost](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost) - [Pricing: Bifrost pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing.md) - [Enterprise: Bifrost enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise) - [Book a Demo: Bifrost demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo) - [Resources: Bifrost resources](https://www.getmaxim.ai/resources.md) --- *This is a markdown version of [https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/beam-1.0-501b-a23b](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/beam-1.0-501b-a23b) for AI/LLM consumption.*