Cheapest AI Models (2026)
The lowest-cost paid models by blended API price (3:1 input:output per million tokens), filtered to models we have benchmark data for so you're not just buying cheap-and-weak. Many strong models cost a fraction of the frontier flagships.
| # | Model | Blended / 1M | Price / 1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 | $0.09 | $0.09 |
| 2 |  Llama 4 Maverick | $0.30 | $0.30 |
| 3 | DeepSeek V4 Pro 0423 | $0.98 | $0.98 |
| 4 |  GLM 5.2 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| 5 |  Kimi K2 Thinking | $1.07 | $1.07 |
| 6 |  Gemini 3 Flash Preview | $1.13 | $1.13 |
| 7 |  Qwen3 Max Thinking | $1.56 | $1.56 |
| 8 | Gemini 2.5 Pro | $3.44 | $3.44 |
| 9 | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| 10 |  Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $6.00 | $6.00 |
| 11 | Claude Opus 4.8 | $10.00 | $10.00 |
| 12 | Claude Opus 4.7 | $10.00 | $10.00 |
| 13 |  GPT-5.5 | $11.25 | $11.25 |
Based on verified public benchmarks; see methodology. Prices are blended 3:1 input:output per million tokens.
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FAQ
What is the best cheapest ai models?
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 leads this ranking with $0.09. The full top 20 is in the table above, updated as new benchmark results land.
How is this ranking calculated?
The lowest-cost paid models by blended API price (3:1 input:output per million tokens), filtered to models we have benchmark data for so you're not just buying cheap-and-weak. Many strong models cost a fraction of the frontier flagships. We only use publicly verifiable benchmark results with cited sources — no estimates. See our methodology page for the exact formula.
How often does this list change?
Pricing and model availability refresh hourly from OpenRouter; benchmark scores update whenever a lab publishes new official results. The ranking reflects the latest verified data.