AIUtilityVerse
Cost Comparison

Finding the cheapest adequate AI API

The cheapest model per token is rarely the cheapest model for your task. This page lists active low-cost models from our catalog and a way to find the cheapest one that passes your quality bar.

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Side-by-side pricing comparison

Active pay-as-you-go rates from our pricing catalog, sourced from each provider's official page. The catalog may lag new launches. Use the category filter to narrow the list.

Catalog rates are a single pricing snapshot, not a full tier schedule. This table does not select rates by prompt length; long prompts may cost more and change the ranking. Use the API cost calculator for supported Haiku 5.5 and xAI prompt tiers. Announced Google increases are not applied before their effective date.

Prices are per 1M tokens (standard pay-as-you-go). Always verify with your provider before budgeting.

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How to find the cheapest adequate model

Define adequate before looking at price, then walk up from the bottom.

  1. 01
    Write a pass/fail checklist first

    List three to five checks an output must meet. Without this, you will drift toward whichever model you tried last.

  2. 02
    Start at the bottom

    Test the lowest-priced active model first. Only move up a tier when it fails your checklist after one round of prompt tuning.

  3. 03
    Include input-heavy reality

    Cheap models are often used with long prompts. Measure your actual input size; input can dominate the bill even when output is short.

  4. 04
    Consider free and local options

    For learning and low volume, free tiers or a small local model may cost nothing per call. Factor hardware or limits into the comparison.

Sources and methodology

These official pricing references and our calculation methodology remain available while the live catalog loads. Confirm the provider's current rates and billing conditions before committing to a workload.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest AI API right now?
Sort the low-cost category in the table above by input or output price for active catalog rates. Prices change, so we do not quote figures in this text.
Is the cheapest model good enough?
For classification, extraction, and short summaries it often is. Use a pass/fail checklist on real data to find out.
Are there free options?
Some providers offer free tiers with limits, and open-weight models can be run locally. See the budget and local section on our home page.
Do cheap models have small context windows?
Not necessarily. Check the context column; some low-cost models support large contexts.
Do these estimates include taxes or enterprise discounts?
No. Rates are standard pay-as-you-go prices from our active catalog, sourced from official pricing pages. Enterprise agreements, committed-use discounts, regional pricing, and taxes are not reflected. Confirm final pricing with the provider.