OpenAI API Pricing 2026
Complete pricing guide with plans, hidden costs, and cost analysis
OpenAI API uses usage-based pricing from $0.010–$180.00 per million tokens; there is no monthly subscription price for this API tier.
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Is OpenAI API a fit?
Derived from this product's own pricing and contract record — not a review.
Best for
- High-volume, cost-sensitive API workloads
- High-capability API workloads requiring the latest flagship models
Not a fit if
- You need to budget without talking to sales — every plan here is quote-only.
- The sticker price is your whole budget — Reasoning Model Cost Cliff.
OpenAI API Usage Pricing
| Model | Input | Output | Cached | Per |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-6-luna | $0.100 | $0.500 | $0.010 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-6-luna (long context) | $0.200 | $0.750 | $0.020 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.6-luna | $0.200 | $1.20 | $0.020 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.4-mini | $0.750 | $4.50 | $0.075 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.4-nano | $0.200 | $1.25 | $0.020 | 1M tokens |
- Standard-tier prices per 1M tokens, verified 2026-10-10 against OpenAI's API pricing page (https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing).
- Short-context rates apply up to 272K input tokens; long-context rows show the higher rates OpenAI lists above that.
- Batch and Flex processing are 50% of standard rates; Fast mode (formerly Priority processing, renamed July 30, 2026) is 2x; Ultrafast is 6x.
- Cache writes are billed separately on GPT-6 and GPT-5.6 models (e.g. $2.50 per 1M tokens on GPT-6.1 Sol); not shown as a rate row.
- GPT-5.6 Sol's $4/$20 rate is promotional, available at least through November 21, 2026.
- Regional processing (data residency) and FedRAMP endpoints carry a 10% uplift for models released on or after March 5, 2026.
- Pro models do not list cached-input pricing.
| Model | Input | Output | Cached | Per |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-6-astra | $10.00 | $50.00 | $1.00 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-6-astra (long context) | $20.00 | $75.00 | $2.00 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-6.1-sol | $2.00 | $10.00 | $0.100 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-6.1-sol (long context) | $4.00 | $15.00 | $0.200 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-6-sol | $2.00 | $10.00 | $0.200 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.6-sol | $4.00 | $20.00 | $0.400 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.6-sol (long context) | $8.00 | $30.00 | $0.800 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.6-terra | $2.00 | $12.00 | $0.200 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.5 | $5.00 | $30.00 | $0.500 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.5-pro | $30.00 | $180.00 | — | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.4 | $2.50 | $15.00 | $0.250 | 1M tokens |
| gpt-5.4-pro | $30.00 | $180.00 | — | 1M tokens |
- Standard-tier prices per 1M tokens, verified 2026-10-10 against OpenAI's API pricing page (https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing).
- Short-context rates apply up to 272K input tokens; long-context rows show the higher rates OpenAI lists above that.
- Batch and Flex processing are 50% of standard rates; Fast mode (formerly Priority processing, renamed July 30, 2026) is 2x; Ultrafast is 6x.
- Cache writes are billed separately on GPT-6 and GPT-5.6 models (e.g. $2.50 per 1M tokens on GPT-6.1 Sol); not shown as a rate row.
- GPT-5.6 Sol's $4/$20 rate is promotional, available at least through November 21, 2026.
- Regional processing (data residency) and FedRAMP endpoints carry a 10% uplift for models released on or after March 5, 2026.
- Pro models do not list cached-input pricing.
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OpenAI API uses usage-based pricing from $0.100 to $180.00 per million tokens as of October 2026. Usage cost depends on the selected model and generation volume.
- 4 documented hidden costs beyond list price
How much does OpenAI API cost?
OpenAI API Pricing Overview
OpenAI API uses usage-based pricing from $0.010–$180.00 per million tokens across 49 published rates.
There are at least 4 documented hidden costs beyond OpenAI API's list price, including implementation, training, and add-on fees.
This pricing was last verified in October 10, 2026 from 4 independent sources.
As of October 10, 2026, OpenAI API pricing runs from $0.10 per million input tokens (GPT-6 Luna) to $50 per million output tokens for GPT-6 Astra, with GPT-6.1 Sol at $2 input / $10 output. All pricing is usage-based with no subscription. GPT-5.6 Sol costs $4/$20 on promotional pricing OpenAI says runs at least through November 21, 2026; GPT-5.5 is $5/$30. Rates rise above 272K input tokens (GPT-6.1 Sol: $4/$15). Cached input is billed at a tenth or less of the input rate, and Batch and Flex processing cut rates in half. Source: OpenAI API pricing page, checked 2026-10-10.
How OpenAI API Pricing Compares
Compare OpenAI API pricing against top alternatives in LLM API Providers.
Compare OpenAI API vs Alternatives
Before committing to OpenAI API, compare pricing with these 3 alternatives in the same category.
What Companies Actually Pay for OpenAI API
| Model | Input /1M | Output /1M | Blended /1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| openai_gpt-5-4 | $2.50 | $15.00 | $5.63 |
| openai_gpt-5-4-mini | $0.750 | $4.50 | $1.69 |
| openai_gpt-5-4-nano | $0.200 | $1.25 | $0.463 |
| openai_o3-pro | $20.00 | $80.00 | $35.00 |
| openai_o3 | $2.00 | $8.00 | $3.50 |
OpenAI API Year 1 Total Cost by Company Size
Real deployment costs including licenses, implementation, training, and admin — not just the sticker price.
50M input + 10M output tokens/month on GPT-6 Luna ($0.10/$0.50 per M): $5.00 + $5.00
5M input + 2M output tokens/month on GPT-6.1 Sol ($2/$10 per M): $10.00 + $20.00
500K input + 200K output tokens/month on GPT-6 Astra ($10/$50 per M): $5.00 + $10.00
Using gpt-image-1 via the OpenAI API to generate images at scale. Cost varies significantly by quality setting.
How OpenAI API Pricing Compares
| Software | Starting Price | Top Price |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI API | $0.100 | $180.00 per million tokens |
| Amazon Bedrock | $0.07 per million tokens | $75 per million tokens |
| Anyscale | Free | $4.9591 per million tokens |
| Baidu ERNIE API | $0.1 per million tokens | $10 per million tokens |
| Cerebras Inference API | $0.1 per million tokens | $6 per million tokens |
| Claude API | $0.1 per million tokens | $50 per million tokens |
Detailed pricing comparisons:
OpenAI API Contract Terms
OpenAI API contracts do not auto-renew. Changes require advance notice. These terms are sourced from verified buyer experiences.
How to Negotiate OpenAI API Pricing
OpenAI API contracts are negotiable. These 3 tactics are sourced from real buyer experiences and procurement specialists.
Moving workloads from the Flagship tier to GPT-6 Luna can cut per-token costs by an order of magnitude: Luna is $0.10/$0.50 per 1M tokens versus $2/$10 for GPT-6.1 Sol, a 20x reduction. Evaluate each workload: classification, routing and summarization often perform acceptably on economy models.
Artificial Analysis (artificialanalysis.ai)Reddit discussions highlight that open-source alternatives (e.g., DeepSeek-R1 at ~$2.50/1M output) can significantly undercut OpenAI's flagship pricing. Obtaining competitive quotes and demonstrating willingness to migrate is among the strongest leverage points in Enterprise contract negotiations.
reddit (r/OpenAI)The Enterprise tier lists custom pricing, which means committing to a minimum spend or token volume threshold opens the door to negotiated per-token rates below published pay-as-you-go pricing. Come to the negotiation with actual consumption data from a proof-of-concept to anchor the volume discussion.
Current tier data (Enterprise tier is custom-quoted)OpenAI API Price History
Pricing changes CostBench has tracked for OpenAI API, verified across 2 snapshots going back to 2026Q2.
-
OpenAI API tier restructure
Changed from 3 to 2 pricing tiers
-
OpenAI API tier renamed
"GPT-5.5 / GPT-5.4 / Pro (Flagship)" renamed to "GPT-5.6 / GPT-5.5 / GPT-5.4 / Pro (Flagship)"
-
OpenAI API tier restructure
Changed from 2 to 3 pricing tiers
-
OpenAI API tier renamed
"GPT-6 Luna / GPT-5.4 mini & nano (Economy)" renamed to "GPT-5.4 mini / nano (Economy)"
-
OpenAI API tier renamed
"GPT-6 / GPT-6.1 / GPT-5.6 / GPT-5.5 / Pro (Flagship)" renamed to "GPT-5.5 / GPT-5.4 / Pro (Flagship)"
View OpenAI API's full price history →
OpenAI API Pricing FAQ
01 How much does the OpenAI API cost?
As of October 10, 2026, OpenAI lists GPT-6 Luna at $0.10 input / $0.50 output per million tokens, GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Sol at $2/$10, and GPT-6 Astra at $10/$50. Older models remain available, including GPT-5.6 Sol at $4/$20 (promotional), GPT-5.5 at $5/$30 and GPT-5.4 at $2.50/$15.
02 What is the cheapest OpenAI API model?
GPT-6 Luna is the cheapest current flagship-family model at $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.50 per million output tokens, with cached input at $0.01 per million. Older budget models such as gpt-4.1-nano ($0.10/$0.40) and gpt-5-nano ($0.05/$0.40) are still listed on OpenAI's full model table.
03 How does OpenAI Batch API work?
The Batch API processes requests asynchronously (within 24 hours) and offers 50% off all model rates. For high-volume workloads without real-time requirements, this halves your API costs.
04 What is prompt caching on OpenAI API?
OpenAI automatically caches repeated input prefixes and charges 50% of the standard input rate for cache hits (vs Anthropic's 10%). Caching is applied automatically for long, repeated contexts.
05 How much does 1 million GPT-6.1 Sol tokens cost?
1M input tokens cost $2.00 and 1M output tokens cost $10.00 at standard rates (prompts up to 272K tokens). Cached input is $0.10 per million. Batch processing halves this to $1.00 input / $5.00 output.
06 How does OpenAI API pricing work for text models?
The OpenAI API uses pay-as-you-go token pricing with input and output tokens charged separately and no monthly fee. CostBench groups the models into an Economy tier (GPT-6 Luna, GPT-5.6 Luna, GPT-5.4 mini and nano) and a Flagship tier (GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Sol, GPT-5.6, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4 and the Pro models). Real usage often exceeds simple estimates because system prompts and conversation history are billed on every call.
07 How does OpenAI API pricing compare to open-source alternatives?
OpenAI API is significantly more expensive than open-source alternatives for comparable benchmark performance. Community analysis from early 2025 found OpenAI's previous-generation models priced at $60–$600 per million output tokens depending on the tier, while open-source alternatives like DeepSeek-r1 were available at approximately $2.50 per million output tokens for comparable benchmark results — roughly 24–240x cheaper.
08 What does it cost to generate images through the OpenAI API?
The gpt-image-1 model charges per token with separate rates: text input tokens (prompt text) at $5 per 1M tokens, image input tokens at $10 per 1M tokens, and image output tokens at $40 per 1M tokens. In practice, this translates to roughly $0.02, $0.07, and $0.19 per generated image for low, medium, and high-quality square images, respectively.
09 Will OpenAI API prices increase over time?
OpenAI has not published an escalation schedule. However, community analysis notes that OpenAI has historically not operated at positive gross margins at current pricing and relies heavily on Microsoft subsidies, creating potential upward pricing pressure as the company pursues profitability. Teams building long-term infrastructure on the API should account for this uncertainty in their cost models.
10 Does OpenAI API have a free tier?
No. OpenAI API does not currently offer a free plan. All API usage is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis per token consumed.
11 What does OpenAI's image generation API cost?
OpenAI's image generation model (gpt-image-1) is a separate add-on priced at $5/1M text input tokens, $10/1M image input tokens, and $40/1M image output tokens. In practice, this translates to approximately $0.02, $0.07, and $0.19 per generated image at low, medium, and high quality for standard square images respectively.
Is this pricing incorrect? — we'll verify and update it.