AI Token Cost Calculator —
GPT, Claude, and Gemini, compared instantly.

Field guide

How the AI Token Cost Calculator works.

Every major AI API — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google — bills by the token, not the character or the word. A token is roughly a chunk of a word (English averages about 4 characters or ¾ of a word per token), and providers charge separately for input tokens (what you send) and output tokens (what the model generates) — almost always at a higher rate for output.

Estimating your token count

Paste your prompt (or enter a token count directly if you already know it), and the calculator estimates tokens using the standard character-based approximation. This is accurate enough for cost planning, but each provider's real tokenizer differs slightly — for a billing-critical estimate, use that provider's own token-counting endpoint on your exact text.

The cost formula

Prices are quoted per million tokens industry-wide. Select a model and the calculator applies its current input/output rates to your estimated or entered token counts.

Tips for cutting real costs

• Right-size the model. Don't run simple classification or extraction on a flagship model — a cheaper tier is often just as accurate at a fraction of the cost.
• Use prompt caching for repeated context. If the same system prompt or reference document is sent on every request, caching can cut that portion's cost by up to ~90%.
• Batch non-latency-sensitive work. Async/batch processing is roughly half price on most providers when you don't need an instant response.
• Trim your prompt. Shorter, more focused prompts reduce input token cost directly — and often improve output quality too.

Pricing note: Rates are each provider's standard list price, checked against OpenAI's, Anthropic's, and Google's official pricing pages on 2026-08-23. AI API pricing is one of the fastest-moving categories in software — confirm current rates before a purchasing decision.