AI API Pricing Comparison
Compare AI API pricing across OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini in one place. Find the most cost-effective model for your use case. Updated pricing for 2024 with input/output rates, context windows, and speed comparisons.
OpenAI Pricing
Anthropic Pricing
Google AI Pricing
💡 Best Model by Use Case
🏆 Best Overall Value
GPT-4o-mini ($0.15/$0.60)
Great capability at very low cost. Ideal for most applications.
⚡ Cheapest Option
Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.075/$0.30)
Lowest cost with 1M context. Great for high-volume tasks.
🧠 Best for Complex Tasks
Claude 3.5 Sonnet ($3/$15)
Excellent reasoning and coding abilities. 200K context.
📚 Largest Context
Gemini 1.5 Pro (2M context)
Process entire codebases or books in a single prompt.
📐 How to Choose the Right AI API
- Define your use case - Simple chatbot? Complex analysis? Code generation?
- Estimate your volume - High volume favors cheaper models even if quality is slightly lower
- Consider context needs - Long documents require larger context windows
- Test multiple providers - Performance varies by task type
- Start cheap, scale up - Begin with mini/flash models, upgrade only if needed
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Which AI provider is cheapest?
Google's Gemini Flash models are generally cheapest, followed by GPT-4o-mini and Claude Haiku. However, "cheapest" should consider quality-per-dollar, not just raw pricing.
Are there hidden costs in AI APIs?
Yes. Consider: rate limit overage fees, failed request retries, testing/development usage, and potential prompt caching costs. Always monitor actual spend closely during development.
Can I switch between providers easily?
Most providers use similar APIs. Libraries like LangChain, LiteLLM, or Vercel AI SDK abstract away differences, making it easy to switch or use multiple providers.
How often do AI API prices change?
Prices generally decrease over time. Major price drops happened in 2023-2024. OpenAI has cut prices several times. Always check official pricing pages for current rates.