AI API Pricing Guide 2026 — Every Major Model Compared
Complete comparison of AI API pricing across OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Meta, and more. Updated April 2026 with GPT-5, Claude Opus 4.6, Gemini 3 Pro.
The AI API landscape in 2026
The AI API market has exploded. Choosing between providers means weighing price, quality, speed, and ecosystem fit. This guide breaks down pricing across every major provider available through 1vy.
Price comparison by tier
Flagship models (highest quality)
| Model | Provider | Input/1M tokens | Output/1M tokens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | $17.25 | $86.25 |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI | $17.25 | $86.25 |
| Gemini 3 Pro | — | — | |
| Grok 4 | xAI | — | — |
Workhorse models (best value for quality)
| Model | Provider | Input/1M tokens | Output/1M tokens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | $3.45 | $17.25 |
| GPT-4o | OpenAI | $2.88 | $11.50 |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.44 | $5.75 | |
| DeepSeek R1 | DeepSeek | $0.80 | $3.19 |
Budget models (cost-optimized)
| Model | Provider | Input/1M tokens | Output/1M tokens |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o Mini | OpenAI | $0.17 | $0.69 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | $0.92 | $4.60 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.09 | $0.35 | |
| DeepSeek Chat (V3) | DeepSeek | $0.16 | $0.32 |
Prices shown are 1vy's rates (provider list + 15% markup). See the live pricing page for current rates.
Key insights
1. Google offers the cheapest per-token rates
Gemini 2.5 Flash at $0.09/1M input tokens is the cheapest option for high-volume, quality-tolerant workloads. Gemini 2.5 Pro offers flagship-quality at roughly half the cost of GPT-4o.
2. DeepSeek is the reasoning value play
DeepSeek R1 provides chain-of-thought reasoning comparable to O3/Claude Opus at a fraction of the cost. For tasks where reasoning depth matters more than speed, it's the best value.
3. Output tokens cost 3-5× more than input
Across all providers, output is more expensive. For chatbot and generation workloads (high output ratio), model choice has an outsized impact on cost.
4. One API key removes switching cost
With 1vy, switching between any of these models is a one-parameter change. No separate billing, no provider accounts, no SDK changes. This makes A/B testing across providers practical.
How to choose
- Quality-first: Claude Opus 4.6 or GPT-5 - Best value: GPT-4o or Gemini 2.5 Pro - Budget: Gemini 2.5 Flash or DeepSeek Chat - Reasoning: DeepSeek R1 or O3 - Chinese language: Qwen3 Max or DeepSeek
Try them all on 1vy
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