Cheaper still
The per-token price is the starting point. Batch APIs and caching cut it by up to 90% on repeated input, and where you buy credits changes what each dollar of usage costs. Full list: every model's price.
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The cheapest LLM APIs right now
Ranked by blended price per million tokens (3 input for 1 output), within each tier, among models released by the major labs in the last year. Cheaper isn't better at everything: compare within the tier you need.
Frontier (blended $5+ per 1M)
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI: GPT-5.4 | $2.50 | $15 |
| Qwen: Qwen3.8 Max Prime | $4 | $12 |
| Anthropic: Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $3 | $15 |
| Anthropic: Claude Opus 5.5 | $4 | $20 |
| OpenAI: GPT-5.6 Sol Pro | $4 | $20 |
| OpenAI: GPT-5.4 Image 2 | $8 | $15 |
| Anthropic: Claude Opus 5 | $5 | $25 |
| Anthropic: Claude Opus 4.8 | $5 | $25 |
| Anthropic: Claude Opus 4.7 | $5 | $25 |
| Anthropic: Claude Opus 4.6 | $5 | $25 |
Cheapest first. Blended = (3 × input + output) / 4.
Mid-range ($1–5 per 1M)
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M |
|---|---|---|
| Z.ai: GLM 4.7 | $0.6 | $2.20 |
| Z.ai: GLM 5.3 | $0.222 | $3.39 |
| Qwen: Qwen3.6 27B | $0.32 | $3.20 |
| OpenAI: GPT Audio Mini | $0.6 | $2.40 |
| Qwen: Qwen3.8 27B | $0.42 | $3 |
| MoonshotAI: Kimi K2 Thinking | $0.6 | $2.50 |
| Google: Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) | $0.5 | $3 |
| Google: Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) | $0.5 | $3 |
| Google: Gemini 3 Flash Preview | $0.5 | $3 |
| SpaceXAI: Grok Build 0.1 | $1 | $2 |
Cheapest first. Blended = (3 × input + output) / 4.
Small and cheap (under $1 per 1M)
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 | $0.042 | $0.084 |
| Qwen: Qwen3.7 Flash | $0.03 | $0.13 |
| Mistral: Ministral 3 3B 2512 | $0.1 | $0.1 |
| Qwen: Qwen3.5-9B | $0.1 | $0.15 |
| Qwen: Qwen3.5-Flash | $0.065 | $0.26 |
| OpenAI: gpt-oss-safeguard-20b | $0.075 | $0.3 |
| Google: Gemma 4 26B A4B | $0.09 | $0.3 |
| Z.ai: GLM 4.7 Flash | $0.061 | $0.4 |
| DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | $0.03 | $0.5 |
| Mistral: Ministral 3 8B 2512 | $0.15 | $0.15 |
Cheapest first. Blended = (3 × input + output) / 4.