How much does the OpenAI API cost in 2026?

OpenAI API pricing in 2026: GPT-5.5 costs $5/$30 per 1M input/output tokens (1M context). GPT-5.5 Pro costs $30/$180. GPT-5 costs $1.25/$10 (272K context). GPT-5 mini costs $0.25/$2. GPT-oss 120B costs $0.15/$0.60. GPT-4o costs $2.50/$10. GPT-4o mini costs $0.15/$0.60. The open-source GPT-oss models are the cheapest options.

Which OpenAI model is best for production use?

GPT-5 mini at $0.25/$2 is the best value for most production workloads — it handles chat, summarization, code generation, and data extraction well. GPT-5 at $1.25/$10 is better for complex reasoning and analysis. GPT-4o at $2.50/$10 is a reliable choice for production with strong overall performance. For budget-conscious teams, GPT-oss 120B at $0.15/$0.60 offers excellent cost efficiency.

Is GPT-5 cheaper than Claude?

GPT-5 ($1.25/$10) is cheaper than Claude Opus 4.7/4.8 ($5/$25) for both input and output. GPT-5 mini ($0.25/$2) is cheaper than Claude Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5) for both input and output. However, Claude models may perform better on certain tasks like long-form writing and code review. The best choice depends on your specific use case and quality requirements.

What is the cheapest OpenAI model available?

GPT-oss 20B at $0.08/$0.35 per 1M tokens is the cheapest OpenAI model, followed by GPT-oss 120B at $0.15/$0.60. These open-source models are great for simple tasks. For better quality, GPT-4o mini at $0.15/$0.60 and GPT-5 mini at $0.25/$2 offer strong performance at low cost. Both GPT-oss models support 128K context windows.

OpenAI API Pricing Guide 2026: GPT-5, GPT-4o, and Every Model Compared

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