Ember-1 vs Fugu Max
Pricing, context window and real answers (September 2026)
Ember-1 (Fireworks) and Fugu Max (Sakana AI), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
| Ember-1 | Fugu Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Fireworks | Sakana AI |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥536.1 | ¥357.4 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥2,680.5 | ¥1,072.2 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥1,876 | ¥894 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Release date | 9/24/2026 | 9/11/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image | text, image, file |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | Unranked | Unranked |
| Arena · Japanese | Unranked | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | Unranked | Unranked |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Fugu Max: ¥1,072.2 per 1M output tokens, 60% less than Ember-1.
- For long documents, Ember-1: a 1,048,576-token context window against 1,000,000 for Fugu Max.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Ember-1
# Counting the 'r's in "strawberry"
**Step 1: Write out the word letter by letter**
s - t - r - a - w - b - e - r - r - y
**Step 2: Examine each letter one at a time**
| Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? |
|----------|--------|------------|
| 1 | s | No |
| 2 | t | No |
| 3 | r | ✅ Yes (1) |
| 4 | a | No |
| 5 | w | No |
| 6 | b | No |
| 7 | e | No |
| 8 | r | ✅ Yes (2) |
| 9 | r | ✅ Yes (3) |
| 10 | y | No |
**Step 3: Verify by splitting the word into parts**
- "straw" → contains **1** r
- "berry" → contains **2** r's
- Total: 1 + 2 = **3**
## Answer
The word "strawberry" contains **3** r's.
8.2s482 output tokens
Fugu Max
The word **“strawberry”** has **3** letters **“r”**.
Step by step:
1. Write the word: **s t r a w b e r r y**
2. Check each letter:
- s — no
- t — no
- **r** — yes, 1st
- a — no
- w — no
- b — no
- e — no
- **r** — yes, 2nd
- **r** — yes, 3rd
- y — no
So, the total number of **‘r’s** in **“strawberry”** is **3**.
3.7s261 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Ember-1
## The Cause
The error means `users` is `undefined` when the component renders, so calling `.map()` on it fails. The component itself is fine — the problem is that the `users` prop isn't being provided (or isn't ready yet).
The most common reasons this happens:
1. **Async data hasn't loaded yet** — the parent fetches users from an API, and the component renders before the fetch completes:
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined initially!
```
2. **The prop isn't passed or is misspelled** in the parent:
```jsx
<UserList user={users} /> // typo: should be "users"
```
3. **Wrong data shape** — e.g., passing the whole response object instead of `response…
18.2s960 output tokens
Fugu Max
The error means `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so `users.map(...)` throws:
```js
function UserList({ users }) {
// if `users` is not passed, this is undefined
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
Common causes:
1. Parent renders `<UserList />` without the `users` prop.
2. State is initialized as `undefined`:
```js
const [users, setUsers] = useState();
```
3. Async data hasn’t loaded yet, but the component already renders.
4. The API returned something unexpected, e.g. `undefined`, an object, or an error response.
## Fixes
### 1. Default the prop to an empty array
```jsx
function UserList({ use…
10.6s1293 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Ember-1
# Code Review
## Bugs and correctness issues
- **Bare `except:`** catches *everything* — including `KeyboardInterrupt` and, critically, `KeyError` from `item["active"]`. A malformed item in the response would be misinterpreted as a network failure, wasting all your retries on a data problem that retrying can't fix.
- **Retrying all non-200 statuses** — a 404 or 401 will never succeed on retry. Only transient errors (connection failures, timeouts, 429, 5xx) are worth retrying.
- **Wasted sleep on the final attempt** — the loop sleeps 2 seconds even after the last failure, before returning `[]`.
- **Ambiguous return value** — `[]` means both "request failed" and "no active items." Callers ca…
95.0s5356 output tokens
Fugu Max
Here’s a review with concrete improvements.
## Main issues
1. **Bare `except:`**
- Catches everything, including `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and programming errors.
- Catch `requests.RequestException` instead, plus `ValueError` for JSON parsing if needed.
2. **Retries everything, including non-retryable errors**
- A `404` or `401` will be retried even though retrying will not help.
- Retry only transient failures: network errors, `429`, and `5xx`.
3. **Fixed 2-second sleep**
- No exponential backoff. Repeated retries can hammer the server.
- Use exponential backoff, optionally with jitter.
4. **Silent failure**
- Returning `[]` after all retries makes it hard…
24.7s3795 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Ember-1 or Fugu Max?
- Per 1M output tokens, Ember-1 is ¥2,680.5 and Fugu Max is ¥1,072.2 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Fugu Max is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Ember-1 and Fugu Max compare?
- Ember-1 takes 1,048,576 tokens; Fugu Max takes 1,000,000.
- Can I use Ember-1 and Fugu Max with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "ember-1" or "fugu-max" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Ember-1 and Fugu Max from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.