Cheapest AI Models That Actually Work

Maximum value -- models that are cheap AND smart. Filtered to exclude low-quality options (intelligence score > 20). Sorted by input price per million tokens.

Our Top Pick

OpenAI: gpt-oss-20bIntelligence24.5

OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b offers the best value at just $0.03/1M tokens while maintaining strong benchmark quality.

Methodology

Ranked by input cost per million tokens, filtered to models scoring above 20 on intelligence to exclude low-quality options.

#		Model	Provider	Price/1M	Intelligence	Speed	Context
1		OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b	OpenAI	$0.03	24.5	304 tok/s	131K
2		OpenAI: gpt-oss-120b	OpenAI	$0.04	33.3	289 tok/s	131K
3		NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B	NVIDIA	$0.05	24.3	116 tok/s	262K
4		Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite Preview 09-2025	Google	$0.10	33.5	214 tok/s	1.0M
5		NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Super	NVIDIA	$0.10	36.0	402 tok/s	262K
6	S	StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash	StepFun	$0.10	37.8	78 tok/s	256K
7		Mistral: Mistral Small 4	Mistral AI	$0.15	26.9	0 tok/s	262K
8		DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3 0324	DeepSeek	$0.20	22.3	0 tok/s	164K
9		OpenAI: GPT-5.4 Nano	OpenAI	$0.20	44.6	61 tok/s	400K
10		MiniMax: MiniMax M2.5	MiniMax	$0.20	36.1	46 tok/s	197K
11		xAI: Grok 4 Fast	xAI	$0.20	35.1	137 tok/s	2M
12		xAI: Grok Code Fast 1	xAI	$0.20	28.7	172 tok/s	256K
13		DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus	DeepSeek	$0.21	28.1	0 tok/s	164K
14		Anthropic: Claude 3 Haiku	Anthropic	$0.25	37.1	118 tok/s	200K
15		OpenAI: GPT-5 Mini	OpenAI	$0.25	20.7	92 tok/s	400K
16		Google: Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview	Google	$0.25	33.5	214 tok/s	1.0M
17		MiniMax: MiniMax M2	MiniMax	$0.26	49.6	44 tok/s	197K
18		DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2	DeepSeek	$0.26	41.7	36 tok/s	164K
19		xAI: Grok 3 Mini	xAI	$0.30	32.1	199 tok/s	131K
20		MiniMax: MiniMax M2.7	MiniMax	$0.30	36.1	46 tok/s	205K
21		MiniMax: MiniMax M1	MiniMax	$0.40	20.9	0 tok/s	1M
22		Mistral: Mistral Medium 3	Mistral AI	$0.40	21.3	83 tok/s	131K
23		Mistral: Devstral 2 2512	Mistral AI	$0.40	22.0	79 tok/s	262K
24		DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 Speciale	DeepSeek	$0.40	41.7	36 tok/s	164K
25		DeepSeek: R1 0528	DeepSeek	$0.45	27.1	0 tok/s	164K
26		Google: Gemini 3 Flash Preview	Google	$0.50	35.0	186 tok/s	1.0M
27		OpenAI: GPT-5.4 Mini	OpenAI	$0.75	44.6	61 tok/s	400K
28	A	Amazon: Nova Pro 1.0	Amazon	$0.80	35.7	151 tok/s	300K
29		Anthropic: Claude Haiku 4.5	Anthropic	$1.00	37.1	118 tok/s	200K
30		OpenAI: GPT-5 Chat	OpenAI	$1.25	21.8	116 tok/s	128K
31		OpenAI: GPT-5	OpenAI	$1.25	44.4	221 tok/s	400K
32		Google: Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 06-05	Google	$1.25	34.6	120 tok/s	1.0M
33		Google: Gemini 2.5 Pro	Google	$1.25	34.6	120 tok/s	1.0M
34		OpenAI: GPT-5 Codex	OpenAI	$1.25	44.6	170 tok/s	400K
35		OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research	OpenAI	$2.00	33.1	140 tok/s	200K
36		Google: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools	Google	$2.00	57.2	117 tok/s	1.0M
37		Google: Gemini 3 Pro Preview	Google	$2.00	41.3	116 tok/s	1.0M
38		Mistral Large	Mistral AI	$2.00	22.8	60 tok/s	128K
39		Google: Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview)	Google	$2.00	48.4	119 tok/s	66K
40		Google: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview	Google	$2.00	57.2	117 tok/s	1.0M
41		OpenAI: o3	OpenAI	$2.00	25.9	143 tok/s	200K
42		Anthropic: Claude Sonnet 4	Anthropic	$3.00	44.4	44 tok/s	200K
43		Anthropic: Claude 3.7 Sonnet (thinking)	Anthropic	$3.00	34.7	0 tok/s	200K
44		Anthropic: Claude 3.7 Sonnet	Anthropic	$3.00	34.7	0 tok/s	200K
45		xAI: Grok 3	xAI	$3.00	21.6	0 tok/s	131K
46		xAI: Grok 4	xAI	$3.00	29.7	87 tok/s	256K
47		OpenAI: o3 Deep Research	OpenAI	$10	38.4	77 tok/s	200K
48		OpenAI: o1	OpenAI	$15	23.7	0 tok/s	200K
49		Anthropic: Claude Opus 4	Anthropic	$15	46.5	44 tok/s	200K
50		OpenAI: o3 Pro	OpenAI	$20	38.4	77 tok/s	200K

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best AI for budget-conscious projects in 2026?

Based on our benchmark rankings, OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b is currently the top-ranked model for budget-conscious projects. See the full rankings above for alternatives.

How much does OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b cost for budget-conscious projects?

OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b costs $0.03/1M input tokens. For 100 requests per day at 2,000 tokens each, that's approximately $0.18/month.

Is there a free AI model good for budget-conscious projects?

Currently, there are no free models that rank highly for budget-conscious projects. Check our free models page for the best zero-cost options.

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