AI API price index · model maker · read 16 Oct 2026
OpenAI API pricing
22 prices as OpenAI publishes them — 20 text models, 2 embeddings — read on its own pricing page on 16 Oct 2026. Its current text models cost $0.50 to $50.00 per million output tokens.
Free tier none stated for text models. The page lists only omni-moderation-latest as "Free" (Moderation), plus tool allowances: File search storage "$0.10 / GB per day (1 GB free)" and ChatKit upload storage "$0.10 / GB-day after 1 GB free per account per month".
What to know before you build on OpenAI
- Most current models have two prices: one for prompts up to 272K input tokens and a higher one above that (gpt-5.4-mini and gpt-5.4-nano list only the first).
- Batch and Flex cost half of Standard. Fast mode — Priority processing, renamed on 30 July 2026 — costs more than Standard.
- There is no free tier for text models; the only model listed as free is omni-moderation-latest.
- gpt-5.6-sol is on promotional pricing "at least through November 21, 2026".
- Data-residency and FedRAMP endpoints add 10% for models released on or after 5 March 2026.
- OpenAI says it is winding down its fine-tuning platform.
Against the other ten
Across the index, 85 current text models run from $0.10 to $50.00 per million output tokens — 500×. OpenAI’s cheapest, gpt-6-luna at $0.50, has 13 cheaper text models elsewhere; its dearest, gpt-6-astra, costs $50.00. A cheaper model is a different model, not the same one for less — compare capability before price.
Text models
| Model | Input | Cached input | Output | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-6-astra | $10.00 | $1.00 | $50.00 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-6-astra | $20.00 | $2.00 | $75.00 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-6.1-sol | $2.00 | $0.10 | $10.00 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-6.1-sol | $4.00 | $0.20 | $15.00 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-6-sol | $2.00 | $0.20 | $10.00 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-6-sol | $4.00 | $0.40 | $15.00 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-6-luna | $0.10 | $0.01 | $0.50 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-6-luna | $0.20 | $0.02 | $0.75 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-5.6-sol | $4.00 | $0.40 | $20.00 | Short context (≤272K input tokens); promotional pricing 'available at least through November 21, 2026' |
| gpt-5.6-sol | $8.00 | $0.80 | $30.00 | Long context (>272K input tokens); promotional pricing 'available at least through November 21, 2026' · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-5.6-terra | $2.00 | $0.20 | $12.00 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-5.6-terra | $4.00 | $0.40 | $18.00 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-5.6-luna | $0.20 | $0.02 | $1.20 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-5.6-luna | $0.40 | $0.04 | $1.80 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-5.5 | $5.00 | $0.50 | $30.00 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-5.5 | $10.00 | $1.00 | $45.00 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-5.4 | $2.50 | $0.25 | $15.00 | Short context (≤272K input tokens) |
| gpt-5.4 | $5.00 | $0.50 | $22.50 | Long context (>272K input tokens) · Not ranked: long-prompt band; the index ranks the standard band. |
| gpt-5.4-mini | $0.75 | $0.075 | $4.50 | Short context only (no long-context price listed) |
| gpt-5.4-nano | $0.20 | $0.02 | $1.25 | Short context only (no long-context price listed) |
Embeddings
| Model | Input | Cached input | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| text-embedding-3-small | $0.02 | — | — |
| text-embedding-3-large | $0.13 | — | — |
13 of these 22 prices are ranked in the index; the rest say why in their note. Text and embeddings per 1M tokens unless the row says otherwise.
Discounts and surcharges, as published
- Batch: the page prints Batch prices at half of Standard, e.g. gpt-6-astra $5.00 input / $0.50 cached input / $25.00 output per 1M tokens (short context), vs $10.00 / $1.00 / $50.00 Standard
- Flex: the page prints the same prices as Batch for the models it lists, e.g. gpt-6-astra $5.00 / $0.50 / $25.00; gpt-6-luna $0.05 / $0.005 / $0.25
- Fast (premium, not a discount): "Priority processing was renamed Fast mode on July 30, 2026." Fast prices are double Standard for the gpt-6 family, e.g. gpt-6-astra $20.00 / $2.00 / $100.00
- Ultrafast (premium, not a discount): gpt-6-astra $60.00 input / $6.00 cached / $300.00 output; gpt-6.1-sol $12.00 / $0.60 / $60.00 (short context)
Where these numbers come from
Read on developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing on 16 Oct 2026, checked against 1 more of OpenAI’s own pages. Macrostack measures nothing and is paid by no provider on this index. Prices change; the date is the claim.
Thinking of moving off OpenAI? The alternatives, ranked · is OpenAI free?
The other providers in the index
- The AI API price index — every provider, cheapest first, and the download
- Anthropic API pricing — model maker
- Google Gemini API pricing — model maker
- Mistral AI API pricing — model maker
- Cohere API pricing — model maker
- Groq API pricing — open-model host
- Together AI API pricing — open-model host
- Fireworks AI API pricing — open-model host
- Replicate API pricing — open-model host
- Deepgram API pricing — voice
- ElevenLabs API pricing — voice
Questions
- How much does the OpenAI API cost?
- On 16 Oct 2026, OpenAI's current text models cost $0.50 to $50.00 per million output tokens at the standard tier (gpt-6-luna to gpt-6-astra). The full list, with input and cached-input prices, is on this page.
- Does OpenAI have a free tier?
- What OpenAI's own pages say: none stated for text models. The page lists only omni-moderation-latest as "Free" (Moderation), plus tool allowances: File search storage "$0.10 / GB per day (1 GB free)" and ChatKit upload storage "$0.10 / GB-day after 1 GB free per account per month".
- Does OpenAI offer discounts?
- Batch: the page prints Batch prices at half of Standard, e.g. gpt-6-astra $5.00 input / $0.50 cached input / $25.00 output per 1M tokens (short context), vs $10.00 / $1.00 / $50.00 Standard Flex: the page prints the same prices as Batch for the models it lists, e.g. gpt-6-astra $5.00 / $0.50 / $25.00; gpt-6-luna $0.05 / $0.005 / $0.25 Fast (premium, not a discount): "Priority processing was renamed Fast mode on July 30, 2026." Fast prices are double Standard for the gpt-6 family, e.g. gpt-6-astra $20.00 / $2.00 / $100.00 Ultrafast (premium, not a discount): gpt-6-astra $60.00 input / $6.00 cached / $300.00 output; gpt-6.1-sol $12.00 / $0.60 / $60.00 (short context)