Pricing
AI Pricing Models Explained
Understand how different AI providers structure their pricing and what factors affect your costs.
📅 2/22/2026⏱️ 8 min read
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AI Pricing Models Explained
AI pricing can seem complex, but understanding the basic models helps you make informed decisions about which services to use and how to optimize costs.
Common Pricing Structures
Most AI providers use token-based pricing with these components:
- Input pricing: Cost per million input tokens
- Output pricing: Usually 2-5x higher than input pricing
- Cached input pricing: Discounted rates for repeated content
- Context window tiers: Different rates for longer contexts
Pricing Comparison Table
| Provider | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | $2.50 | $10.00 | 128K |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 | $15.00 | 200K |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.25 | $10.00 | 2M |
ℹ️
Prices change frequently. Always check official documentation for the most current rates.
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