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API pricing for large language models has commoditized rapidly, but the pricing structures have become more complex. Between input, output, prompt caching, batch execution, and self-hosted instances, developers must calculate pricing carefully to estimate their monthly workloads. Below is our dynamic pricing comparison table, kept in exact sync with the main model index.
| Model | Provider | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Cached Input / 1M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Pricing Tiers: Frontier vs. Mid-Tier vs. Small
When analyzing costs, models generally fall into three tiers:
- Frontier Tier ($5.00+ Input / $15.00+ Output): Reserved for absolute top-tier intelligence like Claude Opus 4.8 and GPT-5.5. These models are ideal for complex architectural decisions and high-stakes agent loops, but are too expensive for daily high-volume tasks.
- Mid-Tier ($1.25 - $3.00 Input / $2.50 - $15.00 Output): Models like Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5, and Gemini 3.5 Flash represent the "sweet spot" for production applications, blending high capability with moderate pricing.
- Small & Open Coder Tier (Sub-$1.00 Input): Models like DeepSeek V4-Flash, GPT-5 Mini, and self-hosted Llama 4 Scout. These provide fast responses and negligible costs, making them perfect for routing, classification, or high-volume summarization.
For more details on overall performance rankings, see our AI Model Rankings or compute your exact monthly cost with the Cost Calculator.