AI API Pricing Comparison 2026: Every Major Provider Ranked
The definitive AI API pricing comparison for 2026. 52 models from 13 providers ranked by cost. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Mistral, Cohere, and more.
We track token pricing across every major AI API provider — updated daily. Here’s the complete comparison for April 2026, covering 52 models from 13 providers.
The Big Picture: AI APIs Are Getting Cheaper
The average cost per million tokens has dropped 60-80% since early 2025. Key milestones:
- DeepSeek unified pricing at $0.28/M input — 90% below OpenAI
- Google launched Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite at $0.10/M — competing with open-source hosts
- OpenAI released GPT-4.1 nano at $0.10/M — their cheapest model ever
- Anthropic cut Opus pricing from $15/M (Opus 4.1) to $5/M (Opus 4.6) — 67% reduction
Complete Pricing Table: Cheapest to Most Expensive
Budget Tier (Under $0.50/M Input)
| Model | Provider | Input/1M | Output/1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V3.2 (cached) | DeepSeek | $0.028 | $0.42 |
| GPT-4.1 nano | OpenAI | $0.10 | $0.40 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | $0.10 | $0.40 | |
| Gemini 2.0 Flash | $0.10 | $0.40 | |
| Mistral Small | Mistral | $0.10 | $0.30 |
| Groq Llama 4 Scout | Groq | $0.11 | $0.34 |
| GPT-4o mini | OpenAI | $0.15 | $0.60 |
| Llama 4 Scout | Meta | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Jamba 2 Mini | AI21 | $0.20 | $0.40 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | Meta | $0.20 | $0.20 |
| GPT-5.4 nano | OpenAI | $0.20 | $1.25 |
| Groq Llama 4 Maverick | Groq | $0.20 | $0.60 |
| Grok 4.1 Fast | xAI | $0.20 | $0.50 |
| Fireworks Llama 4 Maverick | Fireworks | $0.22 | $0.88 |
| Fireworks DeepSeek V3 | Fireworks | $0.22 | $0.88 |
| Claude Haiku 3 | Anthropic | $0.25 | $1.25 |
| Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | $0.25 | $1.50 | |
| DeepSeek V3.2 Chat | DeepSeek | $0.28 | $0.42 |
| Together Llama 4 Maverick | Together | $0.30 | $0.90 |
| Together DeepSeek V3 | Together | $0.30 | $0.90 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.30 | $2.50 | |
| Codestral | Mistral | $0.30 | $0.90 |
| GPT-4.1 mini | OpenAI | $0.40 | $1.60 |
This is the sweet spot for high-volume applications. You can process millions of tokens for under $1.
Mid Tier ($0.50 - $3.00/M Input)
| Model | Provider | Input/1M | Output/1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3 Flash | $0.50 | $3.00 | |
| Command R | Cohere | $0.50 | $1.50 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | OpenAI | $0.75 | $4.50 |
| Groq DeepSeek R1 | Groq | $0.75 | $0.99 |
| Claude Haiku 3.5 | Anthropic | $0.80 | $4.00 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | $1.00 | $5.00 |
| Sonar | Perplexity | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| o4-mini | OpenAI | $1.10 | $4.40 |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.25 | $10.00 | |
| GPT-4.1 | OpenAI | $2.00 | $8.00 |
| o3 | OpenAI | $2.00 | $8.00 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $2.00 | $12.00 | |
| Grok 4.20 | xAI | $2.00 | $6.00 |
| Jamba 2 Large | AI21 | $2.00 | $8.00 |
| Mistral Large | Mistral | $2.00 | $6.00 |
| GPT-5.4 | OpenAI | $2.50 | $15.00 |
| GPT-4o | OpenAI | $2.50 | $10.00 |
| Command R+ | Cohere | $2.50 | $10.00 |
| Command A | Cohere | $2.50 | $10.00 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | $3.00 | $15.00 |
| Sonar Pro | Perplexity | $3.00 | $15.00 |
The mid tier is where most production apps live. GPT-5.4 mini and Gemini 2.5 Pro offer the best value here.
Premium Tier ($5.00+/M Input)
| Model | Provider | Input/1M | Output/1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | $5.00 | $25.00 |
| GPT-4 Turbo | OpenAI | $10.00 | $30.00 |
| o1 | OpenAI | $15.00 | $60.00 |
| Claude Opus 4.1 (legacy) | Anthropic | $15.00 | $75.00 |
The premium tier is shrinking. Most developers have migrated to cheaper, more capable newer models. There’s rarely a reason to use GPT-4 Turbo or Claude Opus 4.1 in 2026.
Provider Breakdown
OpenAI — Most Models, Best Coverage
13 models covering every price point. The GPT-5.4 and GPT-4.1 families give you granular control over the price-quality trade-off. Full OpenAI pricing →
Anthropic — Premium Quality, Higher Prices
10 models. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the coding champion, and prompt caching (90% savings) makes Anthropic competitive for repetitive workloads. Full Anthropic pricing →
Google — Best Free Tier
8 models with generous free tiers. Gemini 2.5 Pro at $1.25/M is the cheapest premium model from a Tier 1 provider. Full Google pricing →
DeepSeek — Budget King
2 models that punch way above their price point. Automatic caching makes it even cheaper. Full DeepSeek pricing →
Inference Hosts (Groq, Together, Fireworks)
Run open-source models (Llama 4, DeepSeek) on optimized infrastructure. Groq offers the fastest inference; Together and Fireworks compete on price.
The Bottom Line
The AI API market in 2026 is a buyer’s paradise. Prices have plummeted, quality has surged, and you have more options than ever. The winners:
- DeepSeek for raw cost efficiency
- Google Gemini 2.5 Pro for best value flagship
- OpenAI GPT-5.4 mini for best all-around production model
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 for coding
- Groq for fastest inference
Use our pricing comparison table to explore all 52 models, or try the token calculator to estimate costs for your specific workload.
Data updated daily. Last update: April 3, 2026.