Pricing
Cheapest AI API in 2026: Complete Pricing Guide
April 15, 2026 · 8 min read
AI API pricing varies wildly — from $0.01 per million tokens to $75 per million tokens. Choosing the right model for your budget can save you thousands. Here's a complete pricing guide for 2026.
Price Tiers (per million tokens via AIPower)
Tier 1: Nearly Free (< $0.10/M)
| Model | Input | Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLM-4 Flash | $0.01 | $0.01 | Testing, high-volume, prototyping |
| Doubao Pro 256K | $0.06 | $0.11 | General chat, 256K context |
| Qwen Turbo | $0.08 | $0.31 | Budget tasks, 128K context |
Tier 2: Affordable ($0.10–$1.00/M)
| Model | Input | Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen Plus | $0.13 | $1.87 | Strong reasoning, multilingual |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.15 | $0.60 | Vision, 1M context, fast |
| GPT-4o Mini | $0.23 | $0.90 | Everyday tasks |
| DeepSeek V3 | $0.34 | $0.50 | Coding, chat (most popular) |
| DeepSeek R1 | $0.34 | $0.50 | Math, logic, reasoning |
Tier 3: Premium ($1.00+/M)
| Model | Input | Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.88 | $15.00 | 1M context, reasoning |
| GPT-5.4 | $3.75 | $22.50 | Latest flagship |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | $4.50 | $22.50 | Best for code |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | $7.50 | $37.50 | Most powerful overall |
Cost Optimization Tips
- Use smart routing: Set
model="auto-cheap"to automatically route to the cheapest model - Match model to task: Don't use GPT-5.4 for simple classification — Qwen Turbo at $0.08/M is 47x cheaper
- Use GLM-4 Flash for testing: At $0.01/M, it's practically free for development
- Chinese models for production: DeepSeek V3 matches GPT-4o quality at 10x less cost
Start with 50 free API calls at aipower.me. No credit card required.