What Does GPT-4o Cost?
GPT-4o pricing: $2.50/$10.00 per 1M tokens (input/output). Context window: 128K. Best for general-purpose, multimodal, tool use.
Pricing Overview
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Input price (per 1M tokens) | $2.50 |
| Output price (per 1M tokens) | $10.00 |
| Context window | 128K tokens |
| Speed (typical) | 90 tok/s |
| Provider | OpenAI |
Cost for Common Tasks
| Task | Input Tokens | Output Tokens | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-page summary | ~800 | ~400 | $0.0060 |
| 10K token conversation | ~8,000 | ~2,000 | $0.0400 |
| Batch of 1,000 API calls | ~500K | ~500K | $6.2500 |
GPT-4o vs Alternatives
| Model | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context | Speed | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | $2.50 | $10.00 | 128K | 90 tok/s | 90/100 |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | $3.00 | $15.00 | 200K | 80 tok/s | 88/100 |
| Gemini 2.0 Pro | $1.25 | $5.00 | 1M | 100 tok/s | 87/100 |
| Llama 3 405B | Self-host | Self-host | 128K | 25 tok/s | 86/100 |
When to Use GPT-4o
- Best for: general-purpose, multimodal, tool use
- Context window: 128K tokens — handles most documents and conversations
- Speed: 90 tok/s — good for interactive use
- Quality: 90/100 — top-tier, frontier-class
API Code Example with Cost Calculation
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI()
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="gpt-4o",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Summarize this document..."}],
max_tokens=1024
)
# Cost calculation
usage = response.usage
cost = (usage.prompt_tokens / 1_000_000) * 2.5 + (usage.completion_tokens / 1_000_000) * 10
print(f"Tokens: {usage.prompt_tokens} in / {usage.completion_tokens} out")
print(f"Cost: {cost:.6f}")
# Typical 1-page summary: ~$0.0060Monthly Cost Estimates
| Usage Level | Daily Tokens (in/out) | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Light (personal project) | 50K / 25K | $11.25 |
| Medium (small SaaS) | 500K / 250K | $112.50 |
| Heavy (production app) | 5M / 2.5M | $1125.00 |
FAQ
How much does GPT-4o cost per API call?
A typical GPT-4o API call with 1K input and 500 output tokens costs approximately $0.0075. Pricing is $2.50 per 1M input tokens and $10.00 per 1M output tokens.
Is GPT-4o worth the price?
GPT-4o scores approximately 90/100 on aggregate benchmarks. It is best suited for general-purpose, multimodal, tool use. At $2.50/$10.00 per 1M tokens, it offers competitive value for its quality tier.
What are cheaper alternatives to GPT-4o?
Top alternatives: Claude Sonnet 4 at $3.00/$15.00, Gemini 2.0 Pro at $1.25/$5.00, Llama 3 405B (self-hosted). Use KickLLM's calculator to compare costs for your specific workload.
Prices last verified: April 2026. Pricing may change — always check provider websites for current rates.
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