Across 128 AI models in our index, pricing varies by over 100x. The cheapest paid model costs $0.20/M output tokens while the most expensive costs $350000.00/M. The median price is $10.00/M output tokens.
Most Affordable Models
The 5 cheapest paid models that still deliver competitive quality:
Premium Tier
The most expensive models - premium pricing for premium capabilities:
Price vs Performance
Higher pricing does not always correlate with higher scores. Some of the best value models in our index achieve top-10 scores at below-median pricing. The sweet spot for most developers is in the $1-5/M output token range, where quality is competitive and costs are manageable at scale.
The trend is unmistakable: token prices are falling fast. Competition from open-source models and new providers creates constant downward pressure on pricing. Models that were premium-priced six months ago are now mid-tier.