AI API Pricing Calculator 2026

Updated February 2026

AI API Pricing Calculator

Calculate and compare costs for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, and 25+ AI models. Get accurate monthly estimates based on your actual usage patterns.

25+
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8
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Complete AI API Pricing Reference 2026

All prices per 1 million tokens. 1M tokens ≈ 750,000 words.

ProviderModelInputOutputContextBest For
OpenAIGPT-4oPopular$2.50$10.00128KGeneral, vision
OpenAIGPT-4o MiniCheap$0.15$0.60128KCost-effective
OpenAIo1$15.00$60.00200KComplex reasoning
AnthropicClaude 3.5 SonnetBest Code$3.00$15.00200KCoding, writing
AnthropicClaude 3 HaikuFast$0.25$1.25200KQuick tasks
GoogleGemini 1.5 Pro$1.25$5.002MLong context
GoogleGemini 1.5 FlashCheapest$0.075$0.301MHigh volume
MetaLlama 3.1 70B$0.35$0.40128KOpen source
MistralMistral Large$2.00$6.00128KMultilingual
GroqLlama 3.1 70BUltra Fast$0.59$0.79128KSpeed critical

Cost Optimization Tips

Start Small

Use GPT-4o Mini or Gemini Flash for simple tasks. Only upgrade to premium models when quality matters.

Optimize Prompts

Shorter, clearer prompts use fewer tokens. Remove filler words and unnecessary context.

Cache Responses

Store frequent queries locally. Avoid repeated API calls for identical requests.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a token in AI pricing?
A token is roughly 4 characters or 0.75 words in English. "Hello world" is about 2-3 tokens. AI APIs charge separately for input (your prompt) and output (AI response) tokens.
Which AI model is cheapest?
Google Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.075/1M input) is currently the cheapest major model. GPT-4o Mini ($0.15/1M) and Claude 3 Haiku ($0.25/1M) are also very affordable options.
Why is output more expensive than input?
Generating output requires more computation than processing input. The model must predict each token sequentially, using more GPU resources than reading your prompt.
Is there free AI API access?
Yes! Google offers generous free tiers for Gemini. OpenAI provides $5-18 free credits for new accounts. Groq, Together, and others have free tiers with rate limits.