Tokely

THE COST OF BUILDING WITH AI

Cheapest AI API: compare text & media costs

Compare text, image, video and audio API costs without mixing billing units. Start with the exact model and generation settings, then compare the price.

Try in Playground Calculate your cost

Published by Tokely · Reviewed

THE SHORT ANSWER

There is no single cheapest AI API for every workload. For text, compare the same model and input/output mix. For images, video and audio, match quality, duration, resolution and billing unit. Tokely publishes the rates and supported variants so you can make that comparison.

Choose your cost model

Text API costs ↗

Input, output and cached-input tokens. Compare a matched workload.

39 enabled models

Image API costs ↗

Image variants, quality settings and reference requirements.

18 enabled models

Video API costs ↗

Clip duration, resolution and asynchronous generation jobs.

18 enabled models

Audio API costs ↗

Speech and music with their own published billing units.

3 enabled models

Four modalities. Four cost questions.

A token price cannot tell you the cost of a video clip. Image APIs may charge per image or by quality; video rates depend on length and resolution; speech and music can use different units. Start with one supported output contract, then compare equivalent products.

Lower rate, useful result

A low-priced model that needs repeated corrections may cost more per accepted result. Compare your own task completion, latency and failure rate alongside the published price. The rates here are not quality benchmarks or measured performance rankings.

Questions before you switch

Is Tokely the cheapest AI API?

Tokely has lower published prices than some exact-model reference offers. The result depends on the model, token mix or media variant. This site does not claim to cover every provider or to be the cheapest for every request.

Can I use text and media from one account?

Yes. Supported text, image, video and audio models use the same Tokely account, API key and balance. The endpoint and parameters still depend on the model.

Keep exploring

AI API pricing. Know what you pay. ↗

Published Tokely rates for text, images, video and audio. Pay from one USD balance, compare exact models and estimate your workload before you switch.

A cost-focused OpenRouter alternative ↗

Compare exact-model rates, supported endpoints and migration requirements before moving to Tokely. One balance for supported text, image, video and audio models.

AI API price index ↗

An exportable first-party dataset of enabled Tokely models, exact-model OpenRouter token references and supported media variants. Sources, units and dates are included.

OpenRouter migration checklist · Billing documentation

START WITH YOUR OWN WORKLOAD

Know the price.
Then make the call.

Check the model, compare the rate, and connect with a Tokely key.

Read the quickstart ↗Explore all models →