All Budget Models Compared
The cheapest AI models from major providers, ranked by input price.
| Model | Provider | Tier | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | Budget | $0.075 | $0.30 | 1M | |
| GPT-oss 20B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.08 | $0.35 | 128K |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | Budget | $0.10 | $0.40 | 1M | |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.14 | $0.28 | 1M |
| GPT-oss 120B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| GPT-4o mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| GPT-5 mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.25 | $2.00 | 272K |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | Budget | $1.00 | $5.00 | 200K |
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Which Should You Choose?
Chatbot / Customer Support
High volume, short responses. Cost per message matters most. Budget models handle most customer queries well.
Code Generation
Complex reasoning, longer outputs. Quality and accuracy matter. Both handle most coding tasks well.
Long Document Analysis
Processing large documents, legal contracts, or codebases. Context window is critical.
High-Volume Data Processing
Classification, extraction, summarization at scale. Budget is tight, volume is high.
Enterprise / Safety-Critical
Regulated industries, strict compliance, Anthropic's safety guarantees required.
Startup MVP / Side Project
Minimize costs while building. Need reliable API at the lowest price point.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is GPT-5 mini cheaper than Claude Haiku 4.5?
Yes, GPT-5 mini is significantly cheaper than Claude Haiku 4.5. GPT-5 mini costs $0.25/$2.00 per 1M tokens while Claude Haiku 4.5 costs $1.00/$5.00. That's 75% cheaper on input and 60% cheaper on output. At 1M tokens/month, GPT-5 mini costs $22.50 vs Claude Haiku's $60 — saving $37.50/month.
Which is better for chatbots: GPT-5 mini or Claude Haiku 4.5?
For most chatbot use cases, GPT-5 mini offers better value. It's 75% cheaper on input tokens and handles short conversational responses well. Claude Haiku 4.5 may have an edge on complex instruction following and nuanced reasoning. For high-volume customer support where cost per message matters most, GPT-5 mini is the clear winner.
What is the context window difference between GPT-5 mini and Claude Haiku 4.5?
GPT-5 mini has a 272K token context window, while Claude Haiku 4.5 has a 200K token context window. GPT-5 mini supports 36% more context, which matters for long document analysis and large codebases. Combined with its lower price, GPT-5 mini offers more context per dollar.
GPT-5 mini vs Claude Haiku 4.5 for code generation?
Both models handle code generation well for their price tier. GPT-5 mini at $0.25/$2.00 is 75% cheaper on input than Claude Haiku at $1/$5. For most coding tasks — code completion, refactoring, simple generation — GPT-5 mini provides excellent value. Claude Haiku may have a slight edge on complex reasoning tasks, but the 4x cost difference makes GPT-5 mini the practical choice for most developers.
What is the cheapest AI API model overall?
The cheapest model depends on your needs. For absolute lowest cost: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite at $0.075/$0.30 per 1M tokens. For best value from major providers: GPT-5 mini at $0.25/$2.00 offers strong performance at low cost. DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.14/$0.28 is another ultra-budget option. Use APIpulse's cost calculator to compare all 67 models for your specific usage pattern.
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