Why do different color lasers have different prices? Does color matter?

Color is very important. When a substance lases, the frequency is based on the spacing of the crystals. When LEDs were first invented, they only came in green, then red. They didn't know how to make blue for the longest time, but eventually they found a substance that gave off the right frequency. I suspect purple must be very difficult to get because of the cost, and the fact it hasn't been around as long.

Lasers are made usually with diodes, optics, and the usual electronic parts to help operate it. Red lasers are easy to assemble and fairly common to get parts for. Green, however, requires special diodes (808 diode), a special crystal, and a mirror. It requires a lot of effort to put these together because it has to be perfectly aligned for it to function at all. Because of the material availability and labor required, the green lasers are often more expensive than the average red.

Unfortunately, I cannot support any information on purple lasers but I'm sure the concept is the same. I haven't seen a purple laser, personally... and it's hard to fathom. Purple is a non-spectral color and I do believe it's not possible to have a 'laser' using two spectral colors as it ruins the definition of a 'laser'.