Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
Analysis Summary
Baidu ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking is a text-only model with a 131K context window and exceptionally low input pricing. It has a useful cost profile for bulk drafting, tagging, extraction, and other routine language operations where requests are tightly constrained.
The supplied data includes only a modest reasoning index, with no reported coding, agentic, tool-use, or instruction-following measures. That limits confidence for complex research, nuanced editorial work, or autonomous execution. Design for Online could test it as a volume model behind strict templates and quality checks, but it is not an obvious first choice for client-facing work requiring dependable reasoning.
Assessed September 7, 2026
Editorial notes
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking is priced for high-volume use and offers a substantial context window, but limited supplied benchmark coverage makes its reliability unclear.
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DFO Verdict
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking is priced for high-volume use and offers a substantial context window, but limited supplied benchmark coverage makes its reliability unclear.
How Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking compares
Its 131K-token context window is larger than 47% of the models we list. At $0.07 per million input tokens it is cheaper than 73% of comparable models.
Dark bar = input · light bar = output, scaled to the priciest peer.
1M tokens ≈ 8 full-length novels or ~2,500 pages of business documents in a single request.
Strongest on value. The pulled-in technical corner is the trade-off, and if the shape matters more than the price, this is your model.
Compare shapes side-by-side →Pricing
| Token Type | Cost per 1M tokens | Cost per 1K tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Input | $0.07 | $0.000070 |
| Output | $0.28 | $0.000280 |
What would Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking cost your business?
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A website chatbot handling around 100 customer conversations a day, a few short messages each.
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These numbers get smaller with the right architecture.
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Talk to our teamAbout Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
ERNIE-4.5-21B-A3B-Thinking is Baidu's upgraded lightweight MoE model, refined to boost reasoning depth and quality for top-tier performance in logical puzzles, math, science, coding, text generation, and expert-level academic benchmarks.
Frequently asked questions about Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
How much does Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking cost?
Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking costs $0.07 per million input tokens and $0.28 per million output tokens.
What is the context window of Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking?
Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking has a context window of 131,072 tokens (131K).
Who created Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking?
Baidu: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking is developed by Baidu and was released on October 9, 2025.