When the OpenAI option may fit
- Your stack already depends on OpenAI tooling or model behavior.
- The representative model passes your quality evaluation.
- Its rate and operational constraints fit your volume.
API cost comparison
OpenAI vs Anthropic API Cost Comparison
Provider-level pricing is not one number. This page uses GPT-4.1 mini and Claude Haiku 4.5 as disclosed lower-cost representatives available in the TokenMath catalog.
Standard workload comparison
1,000 input tokens + 300 output tokens × 10,000 requests per month, with no cache or batch discount.
Monthly cost difference: $16.20
| Provider / model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Cached input / 1M | Monthly example | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OpenAI GPT-4.1 mini | $0.40 | $1.60 | $0.10 | $8.80Lowest cost | Verified Jun 21, 2026 OpenAI model pricing |
Anthropic Claude Haiku 4.5 | $1.00 | $5.00 | $0.10 | $25.00 | Verified Jun 21, 2026 Anthropic Claude API pricing |
When each option may fit
These are decision prompts, not quality rankings. Validate capability, latency, context limits, rate limits, and reliability with your own evaluation set.
When the Anthropic option may fit
- Claude-specific behavior performs well for your task.
- You value the provider's model and tooling ecosystem.
- You have compared rate limits, latency, and reliability separately.
Frequently asked questions
Does this compare every OpenAI and Anthropic model?
No. It compares the two representative models named on the page. Use the model pricing comparison for the wider catalog.
Is either provider universally cheaper?
No. Provider cost depends on the selected model, token mix, caching, batch mode, and workload.
Related glossary terms
Input tokens
Input tokens are the tokenized units sent to a model, including instructions, user content, conversation history, retrieved context, and tool definitions.
OpenOutput tokens
Output tokens are the tokenized units generated by a language model, including visible responses and any billable reasoning or thinking tokens defined by the provider.
OpenCost per request
Cost per request is the sum of all billable usage generated by one API call, commonly input token cost plus output token cost for a text model.
Open