title: "AI API Pricing Comparison July 2026: 60+ Models, All Numbers"
published: true
tags: ai-pricing, cost, comparison, deepseek, gpt
canonical_url: https://aiwave.live/blog/ai-api-pricing-comparison-2026
description: "Complete AI API pricing comparison for July 2026. Chinese models from $0.005 to Western models at $15/1M tokens. Cost scenarios for 10K and 1M calls."
Pricing is the most searched topic in the AI developer space. This page aggregates current per-token pricing for every model available on AIWave, plus major Western models for comparison.
All AI API pricing is per million tokens. A "token" is roughly 0.75 English words. Models charge separately for input and output, and output typically costs 2-5x more than input.
| Model | Input ($/1M) | Output ($/1M) | Context | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | $0.14 | $0.28 | 1M | Bulk tasks, autocomplete |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | $0.42 | $0.84 | 1M | Complex coding |
| GLM-5 | $0.20 | $0.60 | 128K | Chinese content |
| Kimi K3 | $0.30 | $0.90 | 128K | General |
| Qwen 3.5 397B | $0.46 | $0.92 | 128K | Balanced |
| Qwen 3.5 9B | $0.05 | $0.10 | 128K | Cheapest capable |
| MiniMax M2.5 | $0.30 | $0.90 | 128K | General |
| ERNIE Tiny | $0.005 | $0.01 | 8K | Classification |
| ERNIE 5.1 | $0.60 | $1.80 | 128K | Advanced Chinese |
Prices from AIWave pricing. All models use OpenAI-compatible API format.
| Model | Input ($/1M) | Output ($/1M) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | $2.50 | $10.00 | 128K |
| GPT-4o Mini | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | $3.00 | $15.00 | 200K |
| Claude Haiku | $0.25 | $1.25 | 200K |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.25 | $10.00 | 1M |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.15 | $0.60 | 1M |
| Model | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| ERNIE Tiny | $0.08 | $0.96 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | $0.22 | $2.64 |
| GLM-5 | $0.30 | $3.60 |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | $0.64 | $7.68 |
| GPT-4o | $3.80 | $45.60 |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | $5.70 | $68.40 |
Formula: (3000/1M x input + 1000/1M x output) x 10000
| Model | Monthly |
|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | $22 |
| GLM-5 | $30 |
| GPT-4o | $380 |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | $570 |
All models above are available through AIWave with a single API key. No Chinese payment method needed. The $0.20 starter credit covers thousands of queries across any model.
For the latest prices, check aiwave.live/pricing.