AI API Costs 2026: Complete Pricing Comparison
Choosing the right model isn’t just about capability — it’s about cost. Here’s the complete 2026 pricing landscape.
Input Pricing ($ per 1M tokens)
| Model | Price | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.30 | Cheapest |
| GPT-4o Mini | $0.60 | Budget |
| DeepSeek R1 | $0.55 | Open source |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet | $3.00 | Mid-tier |
| GPT-4o | $2.50 | Mid-tier |
| Claude 4 | $15.00 | Premium |
| GPT-5 | $15.00 | Premium |
Output Pricing ($ per 1M tokens)
| Model | Price |
|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $2.50 |
| GPT-4o Mini | $2.40 |
| DeepSeek R1 | $2.18 |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet | $15.00 |
| GPT-4o | $10.00 |
| Claude 4 | $75.00 |
| GPT-5 | $60.00 |
Cost per 1K Requests (typical)
| Model | 1K simple queries | 1K complex queries |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.15 | $1.20 |
| GPT-4o Mini | $0.30 | $2.00 |
| GPT-4o | $1.25 | $8.50 |
| Claude 4 | $4.50 | $28.00 |
| GPT-5 | $3.80 | $24.00 |
Monthly Cost Estimates
1000 requests/day:
- Gemini Flash: $45/mo
- GPT-4o Mini: $90/mo
- GPT-4o: $375/mo
10,000 requests/day:
- Gemini Flash: $450/mo
- GPT-4o Mini: $900/mo
- GPT-4o: $3,750/mo
Recommendation
- Startup/Budget: Gemini 2.5 Flash
- Balanced: GPT-4o or Claude 3.5 Sonnet
- Quality critical: Claude 4 or GPT-5