OpenAI API pricing
Part of ChatGPT
The OpenAI API is the developer side of ChatGPT's maker, priced per million tokens with cached input at a tenth of the standard input rate. Batch and Flex processing cost half, Fast mode costs double, and the flagship has been repriced with almost every model generation since GPT-3 charged per thousand tokens.
- Priced by
- Usage based
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, US
- Founded
- 2015
- Pricing page tracked since
- Nov 2021
- Last checked
- Oct 3, 2026
Exhibit 1
OpenAI API Cheapest model input fell 88% since 2021, from $0.80 to $0.10
OpenAI API price history and price changes, USD per million tokens, standard processing
Show the data as a table
| Observed | Flagship model, input | Flagship model, output | Cheapest model, input | Cheapest model, output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2021 | $60 | $60 | $0.80 | $0.80 |
| Nov 3, 2022 | $20 | $20 | $0.40 | $0.40 |
| May 2, 2024 | $10 | $30 | $0.50 | $1.50 |
| Nov 12, 2024 | $2.50 | $10 | $0.15 | $0.60 |
| Nov 11, 2025 | $1.25 | $10 | $0.05 | $0.40 |
| May 9, 2026 | $5 | $30 | ||
| Sep 21, 2026 | $10 | $50 | $0.20 | $1.20 |
| Oct 3, 2026 | $10 | $50 | $0.10 | $0.50 |
OpenAI API's prices have been recorded at 8 points in time between Nov 2021 and Oct 2026. Prices are USD per million tokens, standard processing.
Flagship model, input has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $60. It came down to $20 by Nov 2022 (-67%), then came down to $10 by May 2024 (-50%), then came down to $2.50 by Nov 2024 (-75%), then came down to $1.25 by Nov 2025 (-50%), then went up to $5 by May 2026 (+300%), and finally went up to $10 by Sep 2026 (+100%).
Flagship model, output has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $60. It came down to $20 by Nov 2022 (-67%), then went up to $30 by May 2024 (+50%), then came down to $10 by Nov 2024 (-67%), then went up to $30 by May 2026 (+200%), and finally went up to $50 by Sep 2026 (+67%).
Cheapest model, input has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $0.80. It came down to $0.40 by Nov 2022 (-50%), then went up to $0.50 by May 2024 (+25%), then came down to $0.15 by Nov 2024 (-70%), then came down to $0.05 by Nov 2025 (-67%), then went up to $0.20 by Sep 2026 (+300%), and finally came down to $0.10 by Oct 2026 (-50%).
Cheapest model, output has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $0.80. It came down to $0.40 by Nov 2022 (-50%), then went up to $1.50 by May 2024 (+275%), then came down to $0.60 by Nov 2024 (-60%), then came down to $0.40 by Nov 2025 (-33%), then went up to $1.20 by Sep 2026 (+200%), and finally came down to $0.50 by Oct 2026 (-58%).
Early GPT-3 prices were quoted per thousand tokens with one rate for input and output; they are converted to millions here. The flagship line follows whichever model OpenAI listed first: Davinci, then GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o, GPT-5, the top GPT-5 series model in May 2026 and gpt-6-astra now. The cheapest line follows Ada, GPT-3.5 Turbo, GPT-4o mini, GPT-5 nano, gpt-5.6-luna and, from October 2026, gpt-6-luna. Flagship prices fell for four years and have risen since 2026.
Exhibit 2
2 of 4 OpenAI API plans are on course to cost less by Nov 2027
OpenAI API price prediction 2027: projected change in each plan over the next 12 months
Flagship model, input
Flagship model, output
Cheapest model, input
Cheapest model, output
Note: Each plan’s trend over the last three years carried forward 12 months, with a likely range from how much the price has moved before. Arithmetic on past list prices, not a forecast.
Plans and prices
Billed on what is consumed, such as API calls, messages or payment volume. Prices as extracted on Oct 3, 2026.
gpt-6-astra
$10per million input tokens, $50 per million output
Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 3, 2026
gpt-6.1-sol
$2per million input tokens, $10 per million output
Oct 3, 2026
gpt-5.6-terra
$2per million input tokens, $12 per million output
Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 3, 2026
gpt-6-luna
$0.1per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output
Oct 3, 2026
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OpenAI API head to head
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Pricing page over the years
No archived copies of this pricing page were found yet.
See how other products lay out their plans in our pricing page examples.
Similar companies
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OpenAI API pricing questions
- How much does OpenAI API cost?
- OpenAI API plans start at $0.10 per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output for gpt-6-luna and go up to $10 per million input tokens, $50 per million output for gpt-6-astra. Prices are as shown on the pricing page when it was last read on Oct 3, 2026.
- Has OpenAI API raised its prices?
- OpenAI API last cut a list price in Oct 2026: Cheapest model, output went from $1.20 to $0.50 (-58%), first seen on its pricing page that month. Flagship model, input has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $60. It came down to $20 by Nov 2022 (-67%), then came down to $10 by May 2024 (-50%), then came down to $2.50 by Nov 2024 (-75%), then came down to $1.25 by Nov 2025 (-50%), then went up to $5 by May 2026 (+300%), and finally went up to $10 by Sep 2026 (+100%). Flagship model, output has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $60. It came down to $20 by Nov 2022 (-67%), then went up to $30 by May 2024 (+50%), then came down to $10 by Nov 2024 (-67%), then went up to $30 by May 2026 (+200%), and finally went up to $50 by Sep 2026 (+67%). Cheapest model, input has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $0.80. It came down to $0.40 by Nov 2022 (-50%), then went up to $0.50 by May 2024 (+25%), then came down to $0.15 by Nov 2024 (-70%), then came down to $0.05 by Nov 2025 (-67%), then went up to $0.20 by Sep 2026 (+300%), and finally came down to $0.10 by Oct 2026 (-50%). Cheapest model, output has been listed since Nov 2021, starting at $0.80. It came down to $0.40 by Nov 2022 (-50%), then went up to $1.50 by May 2024 (+275%), then came down to $0.60 by Nov 2024 (-60%), then came down to $0.40 by Nov 2025 (-33%), then went up to $1.20 by Sep 2026 (+200%), and finally came down to $0.50 by Oct 2026 (-58%). Early GPT-3 prices were quoted per thousand tokens with one rate for input and output; they are converted to millions here. The flagship line follows whichever model OpenAI listed first: Davinci, then GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o, GPT-5, the top GPT-5 series model in May 2026 and gpt-6-astra now. The cheapest line follows Ada, GPT-3.5 Turbo, GPT-4o mini, GPT-5 nano, gpt-5.6-luna and, from October 2026, gpt-6-luna. Flagship prices fell for four years and have risen since 2026. Every OpenAI API price change, dated, in the pricing news feed
About OpenAI API
OpenAI API lists 4 plans, starting with gpt-6-astra ($10 per million input tokens, $50 per million output). OpenAI API is based in San Francisco, United States and was founded in 2015. It sells through a mix of product-led and sales-led motions. It works in Artificial Intelligence, Developer Tools, API, SaaS. In its own words: "OpenAI's platform prices each model per million tokens with separate input, cached input and output rates. Batch and Flex processing halve the standard price, Fast mode doubles it, and regional data residency adds a 10 percent uplift."
Using these prices? Credit SaaS Pricing Tracker and link to tracker.kimsalmi.com/price/chatgpt.com-api (CC BY 4.0).