How much does it cost to use AI APIs?

AI API costs range from $0.075 to $30 per million input tokens and $0.30 to $180 per million output tokens, depending on the model. Budget models like Gemini 2.0 Flash Lite cost ~$0.30/1M output, while premium models like GPT-5.5 Pro cost $180/1M output. Most applications spend $50-$500/month.

What is the cheapest AI API model?

Gemini 2.0 Flash Lite is the cheapest at $0.075/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. For better quality, DeepSeek V4 Pro offers the best value at $0.44/1M input and $0.87/1M output — 97% cheaper than premium models.

How do I estimate my monthly AI API costs?

Use the AI API Budget Planner: select your use case (chatbot, code assistant, RAG, etc.), set your daily active users and token usage, then compare costs across all 33 models. The planner auto-calculates monthly costs based on your inputs.

Which AI model should I use for my budget?

For tight budgets: DeepSeek V4 Pro or Gemini 2.0 Flash. For balanced quality/cost: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Gemini 3.1 Pro. For premium quality: Claude Opus 4.7 or GPT-5.5. The right choice depends on your specific task — use the Budget Planner to compare.

Free Tool

Plan Your AI API Budget

Describe your app, set your usage, and get instant cost estimates across 33 models. Find the cheapest LLM for your exact workload.

What are you building?

Select the use case that best matches your application. This helps us recommend the right models.

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Chatbot

Customer support, FAQ, conversational AI

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Code Assistant

Code generation, review, debugging

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RAG / Q&A

Document search, knowledge base

✍️

Content Gen

Blog posts, marketing, copywriting

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Data Extraction

Parsing, classification, structured output

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AI Agent

Multi-step workflows, tool use

How much will you use it?

Estimate your daily usage. Don't worry — you can adjust these numbers later.

Daily Active Users

How many users per day?

Requests per User per Day

Average API calls per user

Avg Input Tokens per Request

Including system prompt + user input

Avg Output Tokens per Request

Model's response length

Any preferences?

Help us narrow down the best options for you.

Budget Range (Monthly)

Priority

Minimum Context Window

Your Budget Estimate

Monthly cost for your cheapest option

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Model	Provider	Tier	Monthly Cost	vs. Cheapest

Save this budget plan & track costs

Pro users can save up to 10 budget scenarios, export PDF reports, and get alerts when pricing changes. One-time $29 — lifetime access.

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