Most expensive LLM APIs in 2026
All 600 models are ranked by blended 3:1 price, highest first, using input and output prices from the index.
What the data shows
The spread runs from about $0.073 to $43.66 per million tokens on a blended 3:1 basis. The median across the set is $7.65.
The top of the list is dominated by frontier and reasoning models. Premium pricing buys capability at the top end, but the correlation weakens quickly once you move down the ranking.
How to read the ranking
Blended price weights input and output at 3:1. If your workload is output-heavy, the ranking can change, so check the output price column as well.
- Filter by context window before comparing price.
- Check whether the model is open weights or API-only.
- Test the cheapest candidate on your own task before switching.
- Keep a fallback model for quality-sensitive requests.
Blended 3:1 price, highest first
| # | Model | Provider | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Context | Avg score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gemini 3 Pro Max | Google DeepMind | $20.57 | $112.92 | 2,000,000 | 87.9 |
| 2 | Claude Opus 4.5 Reasoning | Anthropic | $20.91 | $108.13 | 2,000,000 | 88.2 |
| 3 | Claude Opus 4.5 Max | Anthropic | $20.90 | $106.51 | 1,000,000 | 87.8 |
| 4 | Gemini 3 Pro Pro | Google DeepMind | $19.80 | $108.61 | 200,000 | 87.3 |
| 5 | GPT-5.2 Reasoning | OpenAI | $20.98 | $102.78 | 1,000,000 | 87.5 |
| 6 | GPT-5.1 Max | OpenAI | $20.50 | $103.98 | 2,000,000 | 87.9 |
| 7 | Claude Opus 4.5 Turbo | Anthropic | $19.57 | $106.60 | 2,000,000 | 85.7 |
| 8 | o4 Reasoning | OpenAI | $19.69 | $103.53 | 1,000,000 | 87.5 |
| 9 | GPT-5.1 Pro | OpenAI | $19.77 | $100.32 | 200,000 | 87.8 |
| 10 | GPT-5.2 Turbo | OpenAI | $20.73 | $96.05 | 1,000,000 | 87.4 |
| 11 | Gemini 3 Pro Reasoning | Google DeepMind | $19.69 | $98.36 | 200,000 | 87.5 |
| 12 | Grok 4 Max | xAI | $19.70 | $98.29 | 2,000,000 | 86.6 |
| 13 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 Max | Anthropic | $19.90 | $95.47 | 1,000,000 | 87.2 |
| 14 | GPT-5.2 Max | OpenAI | $21.39 | $90.69 | 1,000,000 | 89.2 |
| 15 | o4 Max | OpenAI | $19.51 | $93.98 | 2,000,000 | 86.2 |
| 16 | Grok 4 Reasoning | xAI | $19.67 | $93.29 | 2,000,000 | 87.8 |
| 17 | Gemini 3 Pro Turbo | Google DeepMind | $19.62 | $89.91 | 400,000 | 86.4 |
| 18 | Claude Opus 4.5 Pro | Anthropic | $20.98 | $85.59 | 200,000 | 89.1 |
| 19 | GPT-5.1 Turbo | OpenAI | $19.19 | $89.83 | 2,000,000 | 86.1 |
| 20 | Qwen3-Max | Alibaba Cloud | $17.37 | $94.30 | 400,000 | 84.4 |
Methodology
This story uses the AI & LLM Index dataset: 600 models, 40 providers and 12 benchmarks. Prices are listed per million tokens. Scores are modelled estimates on a 0–100 scale and are not official benchmark results. Figures are rounded for readability.
Related
FAQ
What does the Most expensive LLM APIs in 2026 data show?
All 600 models are ranked by blended 3:1 price, highest first, using input and output prices from the index.
Are the numbers official?
No. Prices and scores are compiled for this demo index. Benchmark values are modelled estimates, not official results. Verify figures with the provider or benchmark owner before making decisions.
How should I use this ranking?
Use it to form a shortlist. Check the specific model pages, compare price and context, and test the shortlist on your own examples before committing.