OpenAI API Pricing (October 2026)
The OpenAI API costs $4/$20 per million input/output tokens for GPT-5.6 Sol, $2/$12 for GPT-5.6 Terra, and $0.20/$1.20 for GPT-5.6 Luna. Sol's $4/$20 is promotional pricing OpenAI lists as available at least through November 21, 2026; GPT-5.5 stays at $5/$30. Cached input bills at 10% of standard rates; the Batch API halves everything.
OpenAI token pricing runs from $0.05 per million input tokens (GPT-5 nano) to $30/$180 (GPT-5.5 Pro), a 600x spread. The table below lists every OpenAI model in BenchLM's pricing registry, maintained from OpenAI's live pricing page and launch announcements, with cached-input and Batch API rates alongside the headline numbers. The GPT-5.6 family (Sol, Terra, Luna) went GA on July 9, 2026 with a 1.05M-token context window on all three tiers. On July 30, OpenAI cut Terra's price by 20% and Luna's by 80%; Sol stayed at its launch rate.
For how the models perform per dollar, see the OpenAI model rankings and the price-vs-performance view.
OpenAI model pricing per 1M tokens
| Model | API model ID | Input $/M | Cached input $/M | Output $/M | Batch input $/M | Batch output $/M | Context | Price source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-solCurrent | $4 | $0.4 | $20 | $2 | $10 | 1.05M | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.6 Terra | gpt-5.6-terraCurrent | $2 | $0.2 | $12 | $1 | $6 | 1.05M | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.6 Luna | gpt-5.6-lunaCurrent | $0.2 | $0.02 | $1.2 | $0.1 | $0.6 | 1.05M | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.5 | gpt-5.5Current | $5 | $0.5 | $30 | $2.5 | $15 | 1M | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.4 | gpt-5.4Current | $2.5 | $0.25 | $15 | $1.25 | $7.5 | 1.05M | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.4 mini | gpt-5.4-miniCurrent | $0.75 | $0.075 | $4.5 | $0.375 | $2.25 | 400K | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.4 nano | gpt-5.4-nanoCurrent | $0.2 | $0.02 | $1.25 | $0.1 | $0.625 | 400K | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.5 Pro | gpt-5.5-proCurrent | $30 | — | $180 | $15 | $90 | 1M | OpenAI pricing |
| o1-pro | — | $150 | — | $600 | $75 | $300 | 200K | — |
| GPT-5.4 Pro | gpt-5.4-proCurrent | $30 | — | $180 | $15 | $90 | 1.05M | OpenAI pricing |
| GPT-5.2 Pro | gpt-5.2-proDeprecated | $21 | — | $168 | $10.5 | $84 | 400K | OpenAI GPT-5.2 Pro model documentation |
| o3-pro | — | $20 | — | $80 | $10 | $40 | 200K | — |
| o1 | — | $15 | — | $60 | $7.5 | $30 | 200K | — |
| GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astraCurrent | $10 | $1 | $50 | $5 | $25 | 1.05M | OpenAI GPT-6 Astra model documentation |
| GPT-4 Turbo | — | $10 | — | $30 | $5 | $15 | 128K | — |
| GPT Realtime 2 | gpt-realtime-2Current | $4 | $0.4 | $24 | $2 | $12 | 128K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT Realtime 2.1 | gpt-realtime-2.1Current | $4 | $0.4 | $24 | $2 | $12 | 128K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT Realtime | gpt-realtimeCurrent | $4 | $0.4 | $16 | $2 | $8 | 32K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT Realtime 1.5 | gpt-realtime-1.5Current | $4 | $0.4 | $16 | $2 | $8 | 32K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT Audio 1.5 | gpt-audio-1.5Current | $2.5 | — | $10 | $1.25 | $5 | 128K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT-4o | — | $2.5 | — | $10 | $1.25 | $5 | 128K | — |
| GPT-4o Audio | gpt-4o-audio-previewCurrent | $2.5 | — | $10 | $1.25 | $5 | 128K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT-6 Sol | gpt-6-solCurrent | $2 | $0.2 | $10 | $1 | $5 | 1.05M | OpenAI GPT-6 Sol model documentation |
| GPT-4.1 | — | $2 | — | $8 | $1 | $4 | 1M | — |
| o3 | — | $2 | — | $8 | $1 | $4 | 200K | — |
| GPT-5.2 | — | $1.75 | — | $14 | $0.875 | $7 | 400K | — |
| GPT-5.2-Codex | — | $1.75 | — | $14 | $0.875 | $7 | 400K | — |
| GPT-5.3 Codex | — | $1.75 | — | $14 | $0.875 | $7 | 400K | — |
| GPT-5.3 Instant | — | $1.75 | — | $14 | $0.875 | $7 | 128K | — |
| GPT-5.2 Instant | — | $1.5 | — | $6 | $0.75 | $3 | 128K | — |
| GPT-5 (high) | — | $1.25 | — | $10 | $0.625 | $5 | 400K | — |
| GPT-5.1 | — | $1.25 | — | $10 | $0.625 | $5 | 400K | — |
| GPT-5.1-Codex | gpt-5.1-codexDeprecated | $1.25 | $0.125 | $10 | $0.625 | $5 | 400K | OpenAI GPT-5.1-Codex model documentation |
| GPT-5.1-Codex-Max | — | $1.25 | $0.125 | $10 | $0.625 | $5 | 400K | OpenAI GPT-5.1-Codex-Max model documentation |
| o3-mini | — | $1.1 | — | $4.4 | $0.55 | $2.2 | 200K | — |
| o4-mini | — | $1.1 | — | $4.4 | $0.55 | $2.2 | 200K | — |
| GPT-4o mini TTS | gpt-4o-mini-ttsCurrent | $0.6 | — | $12 | $0.3 | $6 | 2K | OpenAI GPT-4o mini TTS model documentation |
| GPT Realtime 2.1 Mini | gpt-realtime-2.1-miniCurrent | $0.6 | $0.06 | $2.4 | $0.3 | $1.2 | 128K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT Realtime mini | gpt-realtime-miniCurrent | $0.6 | $0.06 | $2.4 | $0.3 | $1.2 | 32K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT-4.1 mini | — | $0.4 | — | $1.6 | $0.2 | $0.8 | 1M | — |
| GPT-5 mini | — | $0.25 | — | $2 | $0.125 | $1 | 128K | — |
| GPT-4o mini | — | $0.15 | — | $0.6 | $0.075 | $0.3 | 128K | — |
| GPT-4o mini Audio | gpt-4o-mini-audio-previewCurrent | $0.15 | — | $0.6 | $0.075 | $0.3 | 128K | OpenAI model documentation |
| GPT-6 Luna | gpt-6-lunaCurrent | $0.1 | $0.01 | $0.5 | $0.05 | $0.25 | 1.05M | OpenAI GPT-6 Luna model documentation |
| GPT-4.1 nano | — | $0.1 | — | $0.4 | $0.05 | $0.2 | 1M | — |
| GPT-5 nano | — | $0.05 | — | $0.4 | $0.025 | $0.2 | 400K | — |
Cached input is shown only where OpenAI explicitly publishes a rate; the current GPT-5.4–5.6 tiers list cache reads at 10% of standard input (GPT-5.6 cache writes cost 1.25x with a 30-minute minimum cache life). Batch columns apply OpenAI's published 50% Batch rates. Regional-processing uplifts are not included.
OpenAI API pricing calculator
| Model | Est. monthly cost |
|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Sol | $80 |
| GPT-5.6 Terra | $44 |
| GPT-5.6 Luna | $4.4 |
| GPT-5.5 | $110 |
| GPT-5.4 | $55 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | $16.5 |
| GPT-5.4 nano | $4.5 |
| GPT-5.5 Pro | $660 |
Estimates use OpenAI's standard per-token rates from the table above. For token-level presets and cross-provider comparison, use the full LLM API pricing calculator.
Short-context and long-context OpenAI token pricing
The headline rates apply to short-context requests. OpenAI publishes a separate long-context meter for the current flagship tiers: GPT-5.6 Sol rises from $5/$30 to $10/$45 per million input/output tokens, Terra from $2/$12 to $4/$18, and Luna from $0.20/$1.20 to $0.40/$1.80. Cached input doubles with the input meter, while the output uplift is 50%.
GPT-5.5 uses the same $10/$45 long-context rate as Sol. GPT-5.4 rises from $2.50/$15 to $5/$22.50. The calculator above uses short-context rates, so long prompts need the higher meter applied before a budget is approved. OpenAI also lists a 10% regional-processing uplift for eligible models released on or after March 5, 2026.
Cached input and Batch API: how to pay half or less
Cached input is automatic: repeated prompt prefixes (system prompts, tool definitions, shared context) bill at 10% of the standard input rate — $0.50/M instead of $5/M on GPT-5.6 Sol. On GPT-5.6 the accounting got more predictable: cache writes cost 1.25x standard input and cached content persists for at least 30 minutes, so any prefix reused more than once nets out cheaper.
The Batch API takes a flat 50% off input and output for asynchronous jobs, and GPT-5.5 additionally offers Flex at half rate and Priority at 2.5x. Stacked, a cached and batched Sol workload can run at roughly a quarter of list price. Model your own mix with the LLM API pricing calculator or the estimator above.
OpenAI API pricing is separate from ChatGPT plans
An OpenAI API key has no monthly subscription fee. Usage is billed from the token, tool, storage, and processing meters attached to the API account. ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise are separate products with per-user or plan pricing; paying for ChatGPT does not create a pool of API credits.
Use this page for application and agent workloads billed through an API key. For the consumer-plan decision, see the current ChatGPT Plus analysis. For hosted OpenAI models with Azure routing and residency controls, compare the Azure LLM pricing table.
Which OpenAI model should you pay for?
Start cheap and escalate on measured quality gaps. GPT-5.6 Luna ($0.20/$1.20) and the GPT-5.4 nano/mini tiers cover classification, extraction, and routing. GPT-5.6 Terra ($2/$12) is the production default, with the newer family's capabilities. GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-5.5 ($5/$30) are the flagship tier for frontier coding, reasoning, and agentic work. GPT-5.5 Pro ($30/$180) is a 6x jump that only makes sense when you have evaluation results proving the flagship tier falls short.
Older families stay useful: OpenAI keeps GPT-5.1 ($1.25/$10) and the GPT-5.4 family on the live price sheet, and if your evals pass on them there is no reason to pay 2026-flagship rates.
OpenAI vs Claude and Gemini pricing
The flagship tier has converged: GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-5.5 at $5/$30 sit beside Claude Opus 4.8 at $5/$25 — identical input, Anthropic 17% cheaper on output. Mid-tier, GPT-5.6 Terra ($2/$12) undercuts Claude Sonnet 5 on output ($2/$10, the launch rate Anthropic made permanent). Gemini 3.1 Pro now matches Terra at $2/$12, and at the very top Claude Fable 5 ($10/$50) costs a third of GPT-5.5 Pro ($30/$180).
With prices this close, benchmarks decide it: see the table above next to the Claude API pricing hub, or pick any pair on the compare hub. GPT-6 Astra compared with Google's Gemini 3.8 Flash puts the benchmark scores beside the rates.
OpenAI API pricing FAQ
How much does the OpenAI API cost?
Current OpenAI API pricing runs from $0.05 per million input tokens (GPT-5 nano) to $30/$180 (GPT-5.5 Pro). The current flagships are GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-5.5 at $5/$30 per million input/output tokens, with GPT-5.6 Terra at $2/$12 and Luna at $0.20/$1.20.
Does an OpenAI API key cost money?
The API key itself is free — you pay only for the tokens you use, billed per million input and output tokens at the rates in the table above. There is no standing free tier; new accounts may receive trial credits, and costs scale directly with usage from there.
How much does the ChatGPT API cost?
"ChatGPT API" refers to the same OpenAI API used to access GPT models programmatically — the ChatGPT consumer subscription ($20/month Plus) is separate. API access to the models behind ChatGPT bills per token: GPT-5.6 Sol at $4/$20 (promotional through at least November 21, 2026), Terra at $2/$12, and Luna at $0.20/$1.20 per million tokens.
What is GPT API pricing for older models like GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.1?
OpenAI keeps earlier families on the live price sheet: GPT-5.4 at $2.50/$15 (mini $0.75/$4.50, nano $0.20/$1.25) and GPT-5.1 at $1.25/$10, all with 10% cached-input rates and 50% Batch discounts. They remain the best value when your workload doesn't need the newest capabilities.