Technology

LLM API Cost Calculator

Plan your AI API budget by estimating monthly costs based on daily usage, token consumption, and provider pricing. Compare OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI costs for different use cases.

Tip: Token usage varies by use case. Chatbots typically use 500 input and 300 output tokens per message.

Typical for this use case: 500 input tokens, 300 output tokens

Plan Your AI API Budget

Running AI-powered applications at scale requires careful budget planning. Our LLM API Cost Calculator helps you estimate monthly expenses based on your actual usage patterns—from chatbots to content generation—across OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI providers.

Understanding AI API Pricing

AI providers charge per token, with costs varying dramatically between models and tiers. A chatbot serving 1,000 users daily might cost $50/month with a budget model or $500/month with a premium model. Understanding these differences is crucial for sustainable AI deployment.

Monthly Cost Formula

Monthly Cost = Daily Requests × 30 × (Input Tokens ÷ 1M × Input Rate + Output Tokens ÷ 1M × Output Rate)

Why Plan API Costs?

Budget Forecasting

Project monthly and yearly costs before committing to an AI provider. Scale estimates from prototype to production volumes.

Provider Comparison

Compare OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google pricing for your specific use case. The cheapest option varies by workload type.

Model Tier Selection

Match model capabilities to task requirements. Budget models handle 80% of tasks at 10-50x lower cost than premium tiers.

Cost Optimization

Identify savings opportunities through caching, batching, and model selection. Small optimizations compound at scale.

How to Use This Calculator

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Frequently Asked Questions

Start with your user base and expected engagement. A chatbot might see 5-10 messages per active user session. Content tools might generate 1-5 pieces per user daily. API logs from prototypes provide the most accurate baseline.