Best LLM API for startups on a budget
Early-stage teams need to watch burn without ruling out a capable model outright. This list includes any tracked model priced below our overall average input rate, regardless of tier.
Early-stage teams are usually optimizing for runway, not marginal accuracy. This list filters to every tracked model priced below the current average input rate across all 25 models we track, sorted cheapest first, so you can see the full range of below-average options rather than just the single cheapest one.
| Model | Provider | Input /1M | Output /1M | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mistral | $0.15 | $0.60 | Not published | |
| Meta (via Together AI) | $0.18 | $0.59 | 1M tokens | |
| OpenAI | $0.20 | $1.20 | ~1.05M tokens | |
| $0.25 | $1.50 | Not published | ||
| Meta (via Together AI) | $0.27 | $0.85 | ~1.05M tokens | |
| DeepSeek | $0.30 | $1.20 | 1M tokens | |
| Amazon | $0.30 | $2.50 | 1M tokens | |
| Alibaba | $0.40 | $1.60 | 1M tokens | |
| Mistral | $0.50 | $1.50 | Not published | |
| $0.75 | $3.75 | Not published | ||
| Anthropic | $1.00 | $5.00 | 200K tokens | |
| xAI | $1.00 | $2.00 | 256K tokens | |
| xAI | $1.25 | $2.50 | 1M tokens | |
| Amazon | $1.25 | $10.00 | Not published (preview) | |
| Mistral | $1.50 | $7.50 | Not published | |
| Anthropic | $2.00 | $10.00 | 1M tokens | |
| OpenAI | $2.00 | $12.00 | ~1.05M tokens | |
| $2.00 | $12.00 | ≤200K tokens tier | ||
| xAI | $2.00 | $6.00 | 500K tokens | |
| Alibaba | $2.00 | $6.00 | 1M tokens |
We don't benchmark task-specific quality — this shortlist is built from verified price and published context window only. Use it to narrow candidates by cost, then evaluate output quality yourself.
Frequently asked questions
We take the average input price across all 25 models we currently track and list every model priced below that line, cheapest first. The average shifts slightly as we re-verify prices, so the exact set can change between updates.
Not always — pick the cheapest model that clears your accuracy bar for the task, not the cheapest one overall. Many teams start on a budget-tier model and upgrade only the specific flows that need a stronger one.
Yes — we re-verify every 48 hours against each provider's own pricing page and update the changelog whenever a confirmed change lands. Always check the current price on the model's own page before committing to a plan.