Growth: 10K requests/day, 3K tokens avg
Scale: 50K requests/day, 2K tokens avg
Production Decision Framework
Use this flowchart to pick the right API:
- Is cost the #1 priority? → Use GPT-5 mini ($0.25/$2.00) or DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.44/$0.87)
- Do you need 1M+ context? → Use DeepSeek V4 Pro (cheapest), Gemini 3.1 Pro (best multimodal), or Claude Sonnet 4.6 (best coding)
- Do you need best coding quality? → Use Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/$15.00)
- Do you need multimodal (images/video)? → Use Gemini 3.1 Pro ($2.00/$12.00)
- General purpose, balanced cost? → Use GPT-5 ($1.25/$10.00)
The Bottom Line
For most production apps: Start with GPT-5 ($1.25/$10.00). It offers the best balance of quality, cost, and ecosystem maturity.
For long-context workloads: DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.44/$0.87) gives you 1M context at 65% less than GPT-5. Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/$15.00) if you need the best coding quality.
For budget-conscious startups: GPT-5 mini ($0.25/$2.00) delivers 90% of GPT-5 quality at 80% lower cost. Use the APIpulse calculator to model your exact workload.
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