Free Tool
AI API Cost Calculator
Compare pricing across AI providers. Adjust your usage to see estimated monthly costs.
Your estimated usage
💡 A typical blog post prompt is ~500 input tokens. A full article response is ~1,500 output tokens.
| Model | Provider | Input $/1M | Output $/1M | Est. monthly cost |
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Notes
- → Prices reflect standard API pricing as of April 2026. Batch pricing may be lower.
- → Actual costs depend on prompt caching, rate limits, and specific usage patterns.
- → Want detailed reviews? Click any model name above to see the full review.
How AI API pricing works
Most AI APIs charge based on token usage. A token is roughly 4 characters or 0.75 words in English. You pay separately for input tokens (your prompt) and output tokens (the AI's response). Prices vary significantly between providers and models — our calculator helps you estimate real costs based on your expected usage volume.
Tips for reducing AI API costs
- Use prompt caching — Both OpenAI and Anthropic offer caching for repeated prefixes
- Right-size your model — Use smaller models (GPT-4o-mini, Claude Haiku) for simpler tasks
- Batch processing — Many providers offer 50% discounts for non-real-time batch requests
- Optimize prompts — Shorter, more efficient prompts reduce input token costs. Try our Prompt Generator