Arctic Large vs SD 3.5 Medium
Compare Arctic Large and SD 3.5 Medium: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.
Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology
| Feature | Arctic Large | SD 3.5 Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Enterprise | Image |
| Parameters | 480B (17B active) | 2.5B |
| Context Window | 128K | N/A |
| Input Price | $0.06/1M tokens | $0.003/image/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $0.10/1M tokens | N/A/1M tokens |
| Latency | ~400ms | ~2s |
Choose Arctic Large when:
- ✓ Data analysis
- ✓ SQL generation
- ✓ Business intelligence
Strong SQL, Data analysis, Enterprise features
Choose SD 3.5 Medium when:
- ✓ General imagery
- ✓ Batch generation
- ✓ Prototyping
Good quality, Fast, Open weights
Verdict: Arctic Large vs SD 3.5 Medium
For cost efficiency, SD 3.5 Medium wins at $0.003/image/1M input tokens. For speed, SD 3.5 Medium is faster at ~2s. Arctic Large excels at Data analysis while SD 3.5 Medium is better for General imagery. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.
Detailed Analysis
Pricing Comparison
Arctic Large costs $0.06/1M input tokens and $0.10/1M output tokens. SD 3.5 Medium costs $0.003/image input and N/A output. SD 3.5 Medium is 20.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.
Performance & Context
Arctic Large has a 128K context window with ~400ms latency. SD 3.5 Medium offers N/A context at ~2s. Arctic Large has the larger context window.
Best For
Arctic Large (Enterprise) is optimized for: Data analysis, SQL generation, Business intelligence. SD 3.5 Medium (Image) works best for: General imagery, Batch generation, Prototyping.
Try Both on XALEN
Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:
from xalen import XALEN
client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")
# Use Arctic Large
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
model="arctic-large",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)
# Use SD 3.5 Medium
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
model="stable-diffusion-3-5-medium",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Arctic Large or SD 3.5 Medium?
Arctic Large (Enterprise, 480B (17B active)) offers Strong SQL. SD 3.5 Medium (Image, 2.5B) offers Good quality. Choose Arctic Large for Data analysis or SD 3.5 Medium for General imagery.
How much does Arctic Large cost vs SD 3.5 Medium?
Arctic Large: $0.06/1M input, $0.10/1M output. SD 3.5 Medium: $0.003/image/1M input, N/A/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.
Can I use both models on XALEN?
Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Arctic Large and SD 3.5 Medium by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.
Related Comparisons
Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.