ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Ember-1 vs Fugu Max

Fugu Max comes out ahead, 46 to 36 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Fireworks AI

    Ember-1

    Released Sep 22, 2026New

    36/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$3.00 / $15.00
    • Context1.05M
  2. Our pick

    Sakana AI

    Fugu Max

    Released Sep 11, 2026New

    46/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$2.00 / $6.00
    • Context1M
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Fugu Max is our pick

Fugu Max is the better all-round choice, scoring 46/100 against Ember-1 (36). It leads on price and inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceFugu MaxFugu Max $3.00 · Ember-1 $6.00 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextEmber-1Ember-1 1,048,576 · Fugu Max 1,000,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsFugu MaxEmber-1: Text, Images · Fugu Max: Text, Images, PDFs
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightEmber-1Fugu Max
Price50%1226
Inputs & features30%6070
Context window20%6160
Overall100%36/10046/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Ember-1 vs Fugu Max specifications side by side
SpecificationEmber-1Fireworks AIFugu MaxSakana AI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$3.00$2.00 (best)
Output$15.00$6.00 (best)
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$6.00$3.00 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 7 providersMedian of 9 providers
Limits
Context window1,048,576 tokens (best)1,000,000 tokens
Max output131,072 tokens (best)128,000 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsNoYes
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model ID——
API providers79 (best)
ReleasedSep 22, 2026Sep 11, 2026
Knowledge cutoff——
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Ember-1$60.00
  • Fugu Max$32.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Ember-1 or Fugu Max?

Fugu Max is the better all-round choice, scoring 46/100 against Ember-1 (36). It leads on price and inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Ember-1 or Fugu Max?

Fugu Max is cheaper at $2.00 input / $6.00 output per million tokens (median across 9 API providers). Ember-1 costs $3.00 input / $15.00 output per million tokens (median across 7 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $3.00 per million tokens for Fugu Max versus $6.00 for Ember-1 (2× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Ember-1 has not been scored yet and Fugu Max has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Ember-1 and Fugu Max yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Ember-1 has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 1,000,000 for Fugu Max. Maximum output per response: Ember-1 up to 131,072, Fugu Max up to 128,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Ember-1 accepts text and images; Fugu Max accepts text, images and PDFs. Fugu Max handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. Ember-1 and Fugu Max are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

Ember-1 is the newest, released Sep 22, 2026. Fugu Max came out Sep 11, 2026.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.