SaaS Pricing Tracker
vs

Azure OpenAI vs Claude API pricing

Azure OpenAI is cheaper to start: $0.1 per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output, global against $1 per million input tokens, $5 per million output for Claude API. Azure OpenAI has changed its listed prices 4 times since 2023. Claude API has changed its listed prices 6 times since 2024.

Azure OpenAI pricingClaude API pricingAdd a third product

Azure OpenAI vs Claude API at a glance

Current list prices as last read from each pricing page.

Azure OpenAI

Full analysis
Starts at
$0.1 per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output, globalGPT-6 Luna, USD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed)
Top listed plan
$10 per million input tokens, $50 per million output, globalGPT-6 Astra
Priced by
Usage based
Free plan
Not recorded
Price history
since 2023
Price changes
4

Claude API

Full analysis
Starts at
$1 per million input tokens, $5 per million outputHaiku 4.5, USD per million tokens, standard processing
Top listed plan
$10 per million input tokens, $50 per million outputFable 5.1
Priced by
Usage based
Free plan
Not recorded
Price history
since 2024
Price changes
6

Azure OpenAI vs Claude API price history

Both histories on one chart. The default line is each product's cheapest paid plan.

$0.02$0.05$0.10$0.20$0.50$1$2202420252026$1 Claude API Haiku tier, input$0.10 Azure OpenAI Cheapest model, input
Azure OpenAI: USD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed). Claude API: USD per million tokens, standard processing. Click a legend entry to add or hide a plan. Log scale.
Show the data as a table
ObservedAzure OpenAI Cheapest model, inputClaude API Haiku tier, input
Oct 20, 2023$1.50
Jan 5, 2024$1
May 19, 2024$0.50
Jun 20, 2024$0.25
Aug 1, 2024$0.15
Dec 3, 2024$1
Jun 3, 2025$0.80
Aug 1, 2025$0.05
Oct 1, 2025$0.80
Nov 1, 2025$0.05
Jan 1, 2026$1
Apr 1, 2026$1
Jul 1, 2026$1
Aug 1, 2026$0.20
Sep 1, 2026$0.10
Sep 21, 2026$1
Oct 3, 2026$0.10$1

Plans side by side

Every plan currently listed, with the price it started at where we have it.

Azure OpenAIUSD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed)

PlanPriceListed since
Flagship model, input$10was $30 in 2023Oct 2023
Flagship model, output$50was $60 in 2023Oct 2023
Cheapest model, input$0.10was $1.50 in 2023Oct 2023
Cheapest model, output$0.50was $2 in 2023Oct 2023

Claude APIUSD per million tokens, standard processing

PlanPriceListed since
Top model, input$10was $15 in 2024Jun 2024
Top model, output$50was $75 in 2024Jun 2024
Sonnet tier, input$2was $3 in 2024Jun 2024
Sonnet tier, output$10was $15 in 2024Jun 2024
Haiku tier, input$1was $0.25 in 2024Jun 2024
Haiku tier, output$5was $1.25 in 2024Jun 2024

What changed, and when

Every dated price move we have on record for either product, newest first.

  1. Sep 2026Azure OpenAI changed its plans and prices. Flagship model, input went from $5 to $10 (+100%). Flagship model, output went from $30 to $50 (+67%). Cheapest model, input went from $0.20 to $0.10 (-50%). Cheapest model, output went from $1.20 to $0.50 (-58%).
  2. Aug 2026Azure OpenAI raised the Cheapest model input and output prices. Cheapest model, input went from $0.05 to $0.20 (+300%). Cheapest model, output went from $0.40 to $1.20 (+200%).
  3. Jul 2026Claude API changed its plans and prices. Top model, input went from $5 to $10 (+100%). Top model, output went from $25 to $50 (+100%). Sonnet tier, input went from $3 to $2 (-33%). Sonnet tier, output went from $15 to $10 (-33%).
  4. May 2026Azure OpenAI raised the Flagship model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $1.75 to $5 (+186%). Flagship model, output went from $14 to $30 (+114%).
  5. Jan 2026Claude API changed its plans and prices. Top model, input went from $15 to $5 (-67%). Top model, output went from $75 to $25 (-67%). Haiku tier, input went from $0.80 to $1 (+25%). Haiku tier, output went from $4 to $5 (+25%).
  6. Dec 2025Azure OpenAI raised the Flagship model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $1.25 to $1.75 (+40%). Flagship model, output went from $10 to $14 (+40%).
  7. Aug 2025Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and Cheapest model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $2.50 to $1.25 (-50%). Cheapest model, input went from $0.15 to $0.05 (-67%). Cheapest model, output went from $0.60 to $0.40 (-33%).
  8. Jun 2025Claude API cut the Haiku tier input and output prices. Haiku tier, input went from $1 to $0.80 (-20%). Haiku tier, output went from $5 to $4 (-20%).
  9. Dec 2024Claude API raised the Haiku tier input and output prices. Haiku tier, input went from $0.25 to $1 (+300%). Haiku tier, output went from $1.25 to $5 (+300%).
  10. Nov 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $5 to $2.50 (-50%). Flagship model, output went from $15 to $10 (-33%).
  11. Aug 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and output and Cheapest model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $10 to $5 (-50%). Flagship model, output went from $30 to $15 (-50%). Cheapest model, input went from $0.50 to $0.15 (-70%). Cheapest model, output went from $1.50 to $0.60 (-60%).
  12. May 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Cheapest model input and output prices. Cheapest model, input went from $1 to $0.50 (-50%). Cheapest model, output went from $2 to $1.50 (-25%).
  13. Jan 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and output and Cheapest model input prices. Flagship model, input went from $30 to $10 (-67%). Flagship model, output went from $60 to $30 (-50%). Cheapest model, input went from $1.50 to $1 (-33%).

Azure OpenAI vs Claude API pricing questions

Is Azure OpenAI or Claude API cheaper?
Azure OpenAI starts lower at $0.1 per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output, global, Claude API at $1 per million input tokens, $5 per million output. Prices are as shown on each pricing page when it was last read.
Has Azure OpenAI or Claude API raised prices?
Azure OpenAI: Flagship model, input has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $30. It came down to $10 by Jan 2024 (-67%), then came down to $5 by Aug 2024 (-50%), then came down to $2.50 by Nov 2024 (-50%), then came down to $1.25 by Aug 2025 (-50%), then went up to $1.75 by Dec 2025 (+40%), then went up to $5 by May 2026 (+186%), and finally went up to $10 by Sep 2026 (+100%). Flagship model, output has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $60. It came down to $30 by Jan 2024 (-50%), then came down to $15 by Aug 2024 (-50%), then came down to $10 by Nov 2024 (-33%), then went up to $14 by Dec 2025 (+40%), then went up to $30 by May 2026 (+114%), and finally went up to $50 by Sep 2026 (+67%). Cheapest model, input has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $1.50. It came down to $1 by Jan 2024 (-33%), then came down to $0.50 by May 2024 (-50%), then came down to $0.15 by Aug 2024 (-70%), then came down to $0.05 by Aug 2025 (-67%), then went up to $0.20 by Aug 2026 (+300%), and finally came down to $0.10 by Sep 2026 (-50%). Cheapest model, output has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $2. It came down to $1.50 by May 2024 (-25%), then came down to $0.60 by Aug 2024 (-60%), then came down to $0.40 by Aug 2025 (-33%), then went up to $1.20 by Aug 2026 (+200%), and finally came down to $0.50 by Sep 2026 (-58%). Claude API: Top model, input has been listed since Jun 2024, starting at $15. It came down to $5 by Jan 2026 (-67%), and finally went up to $10 by Jul 2026 (+100%). Top model, output has been listed since Jun 2024, starting at $75. It came down to $25 by Jan 2026 (-67%), and finally went up to $50 by Jul 2026 (+100%). Sonnet tier, input has been listed since Jun 2024, starting at $3. It came down to $2 by Jul 2026 (-33%). Sonnet tier, output has been listed since Jun 2024, starting at $15. It came down to $10 by Jul 2026 (-33%). Haiku tier, input has been listed since Jun 2024, starting at $0.25. It went up to $1 by Dec 2024 (+300%), then came down to $0.80 by Jun 2025 (-20%), and finally went up to $1 by Jan 2026 (+25%). Haiku tier, output has been listed since Jun 2024, starting at $1.25. It went up to $5 by Dec 2024 (+300%), then came down to $4 by Jun 2025 (-20%), and finally went up to $5 by Jan 2026 (+25%).
How are Azure OpenAI and Claude API priced?
Azure OpenAI: usage based, USD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed). Claude API: usage based, USD per million tokens, standard processing.

More comparisons