Cheapest LLM API for Your Workload (2026)
The cheapest LLM API for your workload depends on token mix, cache hits and the number of attempts needed for an acceptable result. Use these candidate models as a starting point for classification, extraction or summarisation, then compare costs on your own requests.
Top picks, with price
1. Gemini 1.5 Flash-8B · Google
Low catalog input and output rates; confirm current availability and test quality on your own classification or extraction tasks.
$0.037 in
$0.150 out
1M ctx
2. Gemini 2.0 Flash · Google
Low catalog token rates and a 1M-token context; check current availability before including it in a production shortlist.
$0.100 in
$0.400 out
1M ctx
3. GPT-5.4 nano · OpenAI
A lower-cost OpenAI candidate — compare against Luna and the rest of the catalog for your token mix.
$0.200 in
$1.25 out
400K ctx
4. DeepSeek-V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek
Compare its peak rates with the 50%-lower off-peak tier when your workload can run outside peak hours.
$0.300 in
$1.20 out
1M ctx
What to watch out for
- Cheap models cost more if they fail and you have to retry or escalate — measure success rate, not just sticker price.
- Output tokens are 2–5× the input price on most providers; cap max_tokens to control spend.
- For massive batch jobs, check each provider’s Batch API — it is usually ~50% cheaper.
Run your own numbers in the cost calculator, or browse the full price comparison.