AI Model Pricing Guide
Because tokens cost money and you're not made of it | Updated July 6, 2026
CHEAPEST: Qwen 3.6 Plus ($0.10/$0.30) / Llama 4 Scout ($0.15/$0.55) / GPT-5.4 nano ($0.20/$1.25)BEST VALUE: Claude Sonnet 5 ($2/$10 intro) / Grok 4.3 ($1.25/$2.50)SMARTEST: Claude Fable 5 ($10/$50) / GPT-5.6 Sol ($5/$30, preview) / Claude Opus 4.8 ($5/$25)NEW THIS WEEK: Claude Fable 5 restored (Jul 1) • Sonnet 5 (Jun 30) • GPT-5.6 Sol/Terra/Luna preview (Jun 26)
O
OpenAI
The OG of AI APIs. GPT kicked off the revolution and they're still leading.
BUDGET
GPT-5 mini
Fast & cheap
In
$0.25
per 1M
Out
$2.00
per 1M
128K ctxFast
Lightweight champion. Surprisingly capable for simple tasks and high-volume apps.
Best: Chatbots, simple QA, data extraction
BUDGET
o4-mini
Reinforcement tuned
In
$1.10
per 1M
Out
$4.40
per 1M
200K ctxFine-tuning
Price dropped 70%. Optimized for reinforcement fine-tuning workflows. Create custom reasoning patterns.
Best: Fine-tuning, custom reasoning
NEW
GPT-5.4 mini
Coding & subagents
In
$0.75
per 1M
Out
$4.50
per 1M
Cached inputCoding
New GPT-5.4-class model. Stronger than GPT-5 mini for coding and subagent workflows.
Best: Coding, subagents, mid-tier apps
NEW
GPT-5.4 nano
Cheapest 5.4-class
In
$0.20
per 1M
Out
$1.25
per 1M
Cached inputBudget
Cheapest way into the GPT-5.4 family. Cheaper input than GPT-5 mini.
Best: High-volume, budget apps
POWER
GPT-5.4
Still elite — now #2
In
$2.50
per 1M
Out
$15.00
per 1M
270K ctxReasoning
OpenAI's previous #1. Still elite for complex, multi-step problems.
Best: Hardest problems, professional work
POWER
GPT-5.2
Reasoning beast
In
$1.75
per 1M
Out
$14.00
per 1M
6.6h horizon200K ctx
Top 3 on METR. Excels at complex tasks, code, and multi-step reasoning.
Best: Code, analysis, agent workflows
POWER
GPT-5.2 Pro
Reasoning premium
In
$21.00
per 1M
Out
$168.00
per 1M
200K ctxPremium
OpenAI's most precise reasoning model. For when you need the absolute best reasoning.
Best: Hardest problems, precision work
NEW
GPT-5.6 Sol
New flagship — limited preview
In
$5.00
per 1M
Out
$30.00
per 1M
PreviewAgentsCodingCybersecurity
OpenAI's strongest model yet. Limited preview with US government coordination. Three tiers: Sol (flagship), Terra (balanced, $2.50/$15), Luna (fast, $1/$6). Cerebras version at 750 tok/s coming July.
Best: Frontier agentic tasks, coding, biology, cybersecurity
NEW
GPT-5.6 Terra
Balanced 5.6 — 2x cheaper than Sol
In
$2.50
per 1M
Out
$15.00
per 1M
PreviewBalanced
Competitive with GPT-5.5 at 2x lower cost. The everyday work model of the 5.6 family.
Best: General purpose, production apps
NEW
GPT-5.6 Luna
Fastest 5.6 — lowest cost
In
$1.00
per 1M
Out
$6.00
per 1M
PreviewFast
Strong capability at OpenAI's lowest cost. The high-volume tier of the 5.6 family.
Best: High-volume, cost-sensitive apps
POWER
GPT-5.5
Now #2 — still elite
In
$5.00
per 1M
Out
$30.00
per 1M
1.05M ctxReasoningAgents
Previous #1. 82.7% Terminal-Bench, 84.9% GDPval, 78.7% OSWorld. 1.05M context window. Still elite, now behind GPT-5.6.
Best: Coding, agents, research, multi-step tasks
#1 RANKED
GPT-5.5 Pro
Maximum intelligence
In
$30.00
per 1M
Out
$180.00
per 1M
1.05M ctxPremiumDeep Research
90.1% BrowseComp, 52.4% FrontierMath Tier 1-3. 1.05M context window — read entire codebases and research libraries. The ceiling for what AI can do right now.
Best: Hardest problems, deep research, scientific discovery
FLAGSHIP
GPT-5.4 Pro
Previous premium — now #3
In
$30.00
per 1M
Out
$180.00
per 1M
270K ctxPremium
Former #1, now behind GPT-5.5. Still incredibly powerful for demanding tasks.
Best: Most demanding tasks, unlimited budget
A
Anthropic
Safety-first company. Claude is beloved by developers for being genuinely helpful.
FAST
Claude Haiku 4.5
Speed demon
In
$1.00
per 1M
Out
$5.00
per 1M
200K ctxFastest
Optimized for fast responses. Perfect for real-time apps and bulk processing.
Best: Real-time chat, bulk processing
NEW
Claude Sonnet 5
Most agentic Sonnet yet — intro pricing
In
$2.00
per 1M
Out
$10.00
per 1M
200K ctxAgenticIntro price
Close to Opus 4.8 performance at Sonnet prices. Most agentic Sonnet ever — plans, uses tools, runs autonomously. Intro pricing $2/$10 through Aug 31, then $3/$15. Default model for Free and Pro plans.
Best: Coding, agents, tool use, autonomous tasks — the new default Sonnet
BEST
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Previous Sonnet — still solid
In
$3.00
per 1M
Out
$15.00
per 1M
Balanced200K ctx
Previous Sonnet default. Still excellent but superseded by Sonnet 5 at lower intro pricing.
Best: Most tasks, code, writing, general use
NEW
Claude Opus 4.8
New Opus flagship
In
$5.00
per 1M
Out
$25.00
per 1M
1M ctx128K outputSelf-verify
New Opus top tier. 1M context, 128K output, autonomous self-verification. Same $5/$25 pricing as 4.7 but newer tokenizer and stronger reasoning.
Best: Complex coding, agents, long-horizon tasks
POWER
Claude Opus 4.7
Previous Opus SOTA — still elite
In
$5.00
per 1M
Out
$25.00
per 1M
1M ctxxhigh reasoningSelf-verify
Previous Anthropic best. 1M context, autonomous self-verification. Beat GPT-5.4 on BrowseComp. Now superseded by Opus 4.8 at the same price.
Best: Complex coding, agents, long-horizon tasks
POWER
Claude Opus 4.6
Proven workhorse
In
$5.00
per 1M
Out
$25.00
per 1M
14.5h horizon200K ctxFast mode
Still one of the best. 14+ hour autonomous tasks. Reliable, consistent, now the value play vs 4.7/4.8.
Best: Hard problems, research, complex agents
NEW
Claude Fable 5
Anthropic's most capable widely released model
In
$10.00
per 1M
Out
$50.00
per 1M
1M ctx128K outputSafety classifiersRestored Jul 1
Public version of Mythos. $10/$50 — double Opus 4.8. 1M context, 128K output, autonomous self-verification. Includes safety classifiers that can refuse requests (refusals are not billed; fallback credits refund prompt-cache cost on retry). Suspended by US government Jun 12, restored globally Jul 1.
Best: Hardest reasoning, long-horizon agentic work, cybersecurity
LIMITED
Claude Mythos 5
Fable 5 without safety classifiers — limited
In
$10.00
per 1M
Out
$50.00
per 1M
1M ctx128K outputGlasswing only
Same capabilities as Fable 5 without the safety classifiers. Limited availability through Project Glasswing (cybersecurity initiative). Restored Jul 1 after US government suspension. Successor to Claude Mythos Preview.
Best: Cybersecurity, frontier research, if you can get access
NEW
Grok 4.20
Same price as 4.3, more features
In
$1.25
per 1M
Out
$2.50
per 1M
2M ctxReasoningMulti-agentVision
Same pricing as Grok 4.3 with multi-agent orchestration. Cached input at $0.125/1M. 2M context window for complex agent swarms.
Best: Complex multi-agent workflows
NEW
Grok 4.3
New recommended base model
In
$1.25
per 1M
Out
$2.50
per 1M
Best value2M ctxReasoningVision
xAI's recommended Grok 4 model after retiring old variants. Beats Grok 4.1 on coding, agents, and reasoning. This is the migration target for retiring models.
Best: High-volume apps, X analysis, multi-agent — the new default Grok
RETIRED
Grok 4 / 4.1 Fast
Retired May 15
In
$0.20
per 1M
Out
$0.50
per 1M
2M ctxRetired
Retired May 15, 2026. Migrated? Good. If not, move to Grok 4.3 ($1.25/$2.50) or Grok 4.20 ($1.25/$2.50).
Best: → Migrate to: Grok 4.3
RETIRED
Grok Code Fast 1
Retired May 15
In
$0.20
per 1M
Out
$1.50
per 1M
256K ctxRetired
Retired May 15, 2026. Migrate to Grok 4.3 for coding.
Best: → Migrate to: Grok 4.3
BUDGET
Grok 3 Mini
Older gen cheap
In
$0.30
per 1M
Out
$0.50
per 1M
131K ctxReasoning
Budget fallback if Grok 4's 2M context is overkill for your use case.
Best: Simple tasks, testing
POWER
Grok 4-0709
Premium tier
In
$3.00
per 1M
Out
$15.00
per 1M
256K ctxReasoningVision
Premium Grok. Smaller context but more reasoning power.
Best: Grok style with more smarts
G
Google DeepMind
Gemini has quietly become excellent. Massive context, strong multimodal, and a generous free tier.
NEW
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Cheapest Gemini 3
In
$0.25
per 1M
Out
$1.50
per 1M
PreviewBudget
Cheapest way into Gemini 3.1. Preview tier with budget-friendly pricing.
Best: Budget Gemini 3 apps, prototyping
NEW
Gemini 3 Flash
New budget
In
$0.50
per 1M
Out
$3.00
per 1M
PreviewFast
Gemini 3 Flash preview. Balanced performance at budget pricing.
Best: Budget apps, prototyping
VALUE
Gemini 2.5 Flash
Best value
In
$0.30
per 1M
Out
$2.50
per 1M
1M ctxMultimodalFree tier
Cheapest way to process 1M context. Free tier available. Multimodal - images, video, audio.
Best: High-volume, multimodal, prototypes
NEW
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Ultra-cheap Flash
In
$0.10
per 1M
Out
$0.40
per 1M
1M ctxBudget
Flash-Lite tier for Gemini 2.5. Cheaper than standard Flash with 1M context support. Best for high-volume simple tasks.
Best: High-volume, simple tasks, cost-sensitive apps
Gemini 3 Pro
3rd gen flagship
In
$2.00
per 1M
Out
$12.00
per 1M
1M ctx
Third-generation Gemini Pro. Now stable — no Preview tag. Same / pricing as preview tier. Strong general-purpose flagship.
Best: General production apps, stable Pro performance
FLAGSHIP
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
New flagship
In
$2.00
per 1M
Out
$12.00
per 1M
4h horizonPreviewVideo
77.1% ARC-AGI-2. Price increased from $1.25/$10. Batch and Flex tiers at 50% off.
Best: Video analysis, complex reasoning
LONG
Gemini 2.5 Pro
Long outputs
In
$1.25
per 1M
Out
$10.00
per 1M
1M ctx64K output
Same price as 3.1 Pro but 64K max output vs 16K. Choose for long-form content generation.
Best: Long-form writing, large outputs
DEPRECATED
Gemini 2.0 Flash
Shuts down Jun 1
In
$0.15
per 1M
Out
$0.60
per 1M
1M ctx8K outputRetiring Jun 1
Deprecated — shuts down June 1, 2026. Migrate to Gemini 2.5 Flash or 3.1 Flash-Lite.
Best: Migrate away from this model
⬆
Open Source & Local
Open-weight models you can run yourself or call via cheap APIs. The frontier is no longer closed.
NEW
Kimi K2.6
88% cheaper than Opus
In
$0.60
per 1M
Out
$2.50
per 1M
256K ctxOpen weightMoE 1T/32B
Beats GPT-5.4 and Opus 4.6 on SWE-Bench Pro. 1T params, 32B active. 300 sub-agent orchestration. OpenAI-compatible API.
Best: Coding, agents, long-horizon tasks
CHEAPEST
Qwen 3.6 Plus
1M context, free tier
In
$0.10
per 1M
Out
$0.30
per 1M
1M ctxReasoningFree tier
Alibaba's latest. Mandatory chain-of-thought reasoning. Free tier available. Topped 6 coding benchmarks on release.
Best: Budget coding, massive context
NEW
Llama 4 Scout
10M context MoE
In
$0.15
per 1M
Out
$0.55
per 1M
10M ctxOpen weightMoE 109B
Longest context of any open model. 109B total, 17B active. Multimodal. Runs on 24GB VRAM.
Best: Massive context, multimodal, local
Llama 4 Maverick
Frontier coding MoE
In
$0.20
per 1M
Out
$0.80
per 1M
1M ctxOpen weightMoE 400B
Beats GPT-4o on coding. 400B total, 17B active. 128 experts. Frontier quality at MoE prices.
Best: Coding, complex reasoning
DeepSeek V3.2
Matches GPT-4o
In
$0.27
per 1M
Out
$1.10
per 1M
128K ctxOpen weightMoE 685B
94.2% MMLU matching GPT-4o. 685B MoE with 37B active. Best open model for general knowledge.
Best: General knowledge, research
FREE
Qwen3-Coder 8B
Local coding king
In
$0.00
per 1M
Out
$0.00
per 1M
In
FREE
local
Out
FREE
local
32K ctxLocal only8B dense
Runs on any 8GB GPU. 92 programming languages. 80-150 tok/s. Best local coding model under 10B. Set it up locally →
Best: Local coding, autocomplete
FREE
DeepSeek R1 Distill 14B
Local reasoning
In
$0.00
per 1M
Out
$0.00
per 1M
In
FREE
local
Out
FREE
local
Local onlyReasoning10GB VRAM
Chain-of-thought reasoning on 10GB VRAM. The sweet spot for local reasoning. 55 tok/s on modern GPUs. Run it offline →
Best: Local reasoning, budget hardware
💡 Did You Know?
1M tokens = 750K words
That's roughly 1,500 pages. Process it for $0.05 with GPT-5 nano — the cheapest input ever.
Fable 5's wild week
Claude Fable 5 launched Jun 9, got suspended by the US government Jun 12, and was restored globally Jul 1. Same model, same $10/$50 price. Government export controls are now part of the model release cycle.
Sonnet 5 intro pricing
Claude Sonnet 5 launched at $2/$10 — cheaper than Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15) despite being significantly better. Intro price ends Aug 31, then $3/$15. Note: new tokenizer produces ~30% more tokens, so it's roughly cost-neutral.
GPT-5.6 government gating
GPT-5.6 Sol ships in limited preview with US government coordination. Trusted partners first, broader release 'in coming weeks'. Government as gatekeeper for frontier AI.
Grok retirement done
Grok 4 / 4.1 Fast / Code Fast 1 retired May 15. Grok 4.3 ($1.25/$2.50) is the replacement — same price, better performance, 2M context.