The cheapest AI models
Updated February 2026 · 14 models · ranked by input price (low → high)
If you are running AI at scale, input price dominates your bill. These are the lowest-cost models in the catalog, ranked by input price per 1M tokens. Every one still supports production-grade context windows.
| # | Model | Input | Output | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GPT-5 nano OpenAI | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| 2 | Llama 4 Scout Meta | $0.20 | $0.40 | 512K |
| 3 | Gemini 2.5 Flash Google | $0.30 | $1.20 | 1M |
| 4 | DeepSeek V4 DeepSeek | $0.40 | $1.20 | 256K |
| 5 | GPT-5 mini OpenAI | $0.45 | $1.80 | 128K |
| 6 | Codestral 2 Mistral | $0.50 | $1.50 | 256K |
| 7 | Llama 4 Maverick Meta | $0.60 | $0.90 | 1M |
| 8 | Claude Haiku 4.5 Anthropic | $0.80 | $4.00 | 200K |
| 9 | Mistral Large 3 Mistral | $2.00 | $6.00 | 256K |
| 10 | Claude Sonnet 5 Anthropic | $3.00 | $15.00 | 400K |
| 11 | Gemini 2.5 Pro Google | $5.00 | $15.00 | 2M |
| 12 | Grok 4 xAI | $5.00 | $15.00 | 256K |
| 13 | GPT-5 OpenAI | $10.00 | $30.00 | 256K |
| 14 | Claude Opus 4.8 Anthropic | $15.00 | $75.00 | 500K |
1. GPT-5 nano
OpenAI · $0.15 in / $0.60 out per 1M · 128K context · Jan 2026
Smallest GPT-5 tier — ultra-cheap classification and routing at massive scale.
2. Llama 4 Scout
Meta · $0.20 in / $0.40 out per 1M · 512K context · Aug 2025
Compact open-weight model for cheap, self-hosted inference and edge deployment.
3. Gemini 2.5 Flash
Google · $0.30 in / $1.20 out per 1M · 1M context · Sep 2025
Ultra-cheap, ultra-fast model with a huge context — ideal for RAG at scale.
4. DeepSeek V4
DeepSeek · $0.40 in / $1.20 out per 1M · 256K context · Jan 2026
Open-weight MoE model with strong reasoning and coding at a very low price.
5. GPT-5 mini
OpenAI · $0.45 in / $1.80 out per 1M · 128K context · Jan 2026
Cost-efficient GPT-5 variant for scale — snappy responses at a low price.
6. Codestral 2
Mistral · $0.50 in / $1.50 out per 1M · 256K context · Nov 2025
Code-specialized model tuned for autocomplete, fill-in-the-middle, and refactors.
7. Llama 4 Maverick
Meta · $0.60 in / $0.90 out per 1M · 1M context · Aug 2025
Open-weight model you can self-host — strong coding with permissive licensing.
8. Claude Haiku 4.5
Anthropic · $0.80 in / $4.00 out per 1M · 200K context · Oct 2025
Fast, low-cost model tuned for high-volume chat and lightweight agents.
9. Mistral Large 3
Mistral · $2.00 in / $6.00 out per 1M · 256K context · Feb 2026
European frontier model with strong multilingual and function-calling support.
10. Claude Sonnet 5
Anthropic · $3.00 in / $15.00 out per 1M · 400K context · Feb 2026
Balanced frontier model — near-Opus quality at a fraction of the price.
11. Gemini 2.5 Pro
Google · $5.00 in / $15.00 out per 1M · 2M context · Sep 2025
Massive context window and strong multimodal grounding for document-heavy tasks.
12. Grok 4
xAI · $5.00 in / $15.00 out per 1M · 256K context · Dec 2025
Real-time knowledge model with strong reasoning and a conversational style.
13. GPT-5
OpenAI · $10.00 in / $30.00 out per 1M · 256K context · Dec 2025
Top general-purpose model with strong tool-use and multimodal reasoning.
14. Claude Opus 4.8
Anthropic · $15.00 in / $75.00 out per 1M · 500K context · Jan 2026
Flagship for the hardest reasoning, agentic, and coding workloads.