Alternatives · 15 models compared · checked 17 Aug 2026
GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct alternatives: 15 models in or near grid E1
The closest model to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct on the atlas is GPT-3.5 Turbo, in a neighbouring square, at $0.50 per 1M input tokens against GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct’s . 8 of the 15 nearest models are cheaper on input; the cheapest is MiniMax M2-her at $0.30. We rank by position on the atlas, not by capability, because we hold no capability data.
$1.50
observed We measured
- Source
- Our catalogue
- Retrieved
- 17 Aug 2026
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Cite this page
ModelsAtlas. “GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct alternatives: 15 models in or near grid E1”. Retrieved 17 Aug 2026. https://modelsatlas.com/models/openai/gpt-3-5-turbo-instruct/alternatives
Where the alternatives sit
Each square is a price band (A–H) × a context band (1–6). How the grid works
Same squareGRIDE1No other modelGPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct is alone in E1.
GPT-3.5 Turbo InstructIts 15 nearest modelsOther modelsOpen weights
View the map as a table (5 squares)
| Square | Price band | Context band | Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRIDD1 | $0.30–1 | <32K | GPT-3.5 Turbo, Gemma 2 27B |
| GRIDD2 | $0.30–1 | 32–128K | MiniMax M2-her, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image), Mistral Small 3.1 24B, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct, WizardLM-2 8x22B, Qwen2.5 Coder 32B Instruct |
| GRIDE1 | $1–3 | <32K | GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct |
| GRIDE2 | $1–3 | 32–128K | Nano Banana 2.1, GPT-5.2 Chat, Mixtral 8x22B Instruct, Command R+ (08-2024), GPT Audio, GPT-4o |
| GRIDF1 | $3–10 | <32K | GPT-3.5 Turbo 16k |
Top 15 alternatives
Ranked by steps away on the atlas, then cheaper before pricier, then input price
| # | Model | Grid | Why it fits | Input / 1M | vs GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct | Output / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | GPT-3.5 Turbo InstructOpenAI · the model you’re replacing | GRIDE1 | Baseline | $1.50 | — | $2.00 | 4K | |
| 1 | GPT-3.5 TurboOpenAI | GRIDD1 | Same maker, neighbouring square D1, 67% cheaper input, 4× the context | $0.50 | −67% | $1.50 | 16K | |
| 2 | Gemma 2 27BGoogle | GRIDD1 | Neighbouring square D1, 57% cheaper input, 2× the context | $0.65 | −57% | $0.65 | 8K | |
| 3 | Nano Banana 2.1Google | GRIDE2 | Neighbouring square E2, same input price, 16× the context | $1.50 | same | $7.50 | 66K | Compare → |
| 4 | GPT-5.2 ChatOpenAI | GRIDE2 | Same maker, neighbouring square E2, 17% pricier input, 31.3× the context | $1.75 | +17% | $14.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 5 | Mixtral 8x22B InstructMistral AI | GRIDE2 | Neighbouring square E2, 33% pricier input, 16× the context | $2.00 | +33% | $6.00 | 66K | Compare → |
| 6 | Command R+ (08-2024)Cohere | GRIDE2 | Neighbouring square E2, 67% pricier input, 31.3× the context | $2.50 | +67% | $10.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 7 | GPT AudioOpenAI | GRIDE2 | Same maker, neighbouring square E2, 67% pricier input, 31.3× the context | $2.50 | +67% | $10.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 8 | GPT-4oOpenAI | GRIDE2 | Same maker, neighbouring square E2, 67% pricier input, 31.3× the context | $2.50 | +67% | $10.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 9 | GPT-3.5 Turbo 16kOpenAI | GRIDF1 | Same maker, neighbouring square F1, 100% pricier input, 4× the context | $3.00 | +100% | $4.00 | 16K | Compare → |
| 10 | MiniMax M2-herMiniMax | GRIDD2 | 2 squares away (D2), 80% cheaper input, 16× the context | $0.30 | −80% | $1.20 | 66K | |
| 11 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)Google | GRIDD2 | 2 squares away (D2), 80% cheaper input, 8× the context | $0.30 | −80% | $2.50 | 33K | |
| 12 | Mistral Small 3.1 24BMistral AI | GRIDD2 | 2 squares away (D2), 77% cheaper input, 31.3× the context | $0.35 | −77% | $0.56 | 128K | |
| 13 | Qwen2.5 72B InstructQwen (Alibaba) | GRIDD2 | 2 squares away (D2), 76% cheaper input, 8× the context | $0.36 | −76% | $0.40 | 33K | |
| 14 | WizardLM-2 8x22BMicrosoft | GRIDD2 | 2 squares away (D2), 59% cheaper input, 16× the context | $0.62 | −59% | $0.62 | 66K | |
| 15 | Qwen2.5 Coder 32B InstructQwen (Alibaba) | GRIDD2 | 2 squares away (D2), 56% cheaper input, 8× the context | $0.66 | −56% | $1.00 | 33K |
What switching saves
3,000 input + 800 output tokens × 1,000 requests a day
Σ Derived from standard-tier prices; excludes caching and batch discounts. Use your own numbers →
Larger-context alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-3.5 TurboOpenAI | $0.50 | 16K | |
| Gemma 2 27BGoogle | $0.65 | 8K | |
| Nano Banana 2.1Google | $1.50 | 66K | Compare |
| GPT-5.2 ChatOpenAI | $1.75 | 128K | Compare |
| Mixtral 8x22B InstructMistral AI | $2.00 | 66K | Compare |
Free alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyria 3 Clip PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M | |
| Lyria 3 Pro PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M |
Compare GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct head to head
Questions
What is the best alternative to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct?
GPT-3.5 Turbo ranks first: same maker, neighbouring square D1, 67% cheaper input, 4× the context. Input is $0.50 per 1M tokens against $1.50 for GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct. Ranking is by position on the atlas, not by quality.
What is the cheapest alternative to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct?
MiniMax M2-her at $0.30 per 1M input tokens, 80% less than GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct, among the 15 closest.
Is there an open-weight alternative to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct?
None of the 15 closest is marked open-weight in our records.
Which alternative has a larger context window?
GPT-5.2 Chat, Command R+ (08-2024), GPT Audio, GPT-4o and 11 more hold more than GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct's 4K; the largest is GPT-5.2 Chat at 128K.
How are alternatives ranked?
By distance on the atlas grid from GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct's square E1: the same square first, then neighbouring squares. Within the same distance, cheaper models come before pricier ones, then the lowest input price wins. We hold no capability data, so we do not claim a model can do what GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct does, only that it costs and holds about the same. No vendor pays for position.
More alternatives
Keep going in your AI
Opens with this page as the source. We add nothing else to the prompt.
- What is the best alternative to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct?
- What is the cheapest alternative to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct?
- Is there an open-weight alternative to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct?