---
id: blog-openai-vs-anthropic-vs-google-cost-comparison
slug: openai-vs-anthropic-vs-google-cost-comparison
date: 2026-02-11
title: "OpenAI vs Anthropic vs Google: Real Cost Comparison 2026"
summary: "Side-by-side pricing comparison of GPT-5, Claude Opus 4.8, and Gemini 2.5 Pro with real cost calculations for production workloads."
categories: ["Guides"]
image:
  src: "/blog/openai-vs-anthropic-vs-google-cost-comparison.png"
  alt: "OpenAI vs Anthropic vs Google: Real Cost Comparison 2026"
  width: 1408
  height: 768
---

Choosing an LLM provider in 2026 isn't just about benchmark scores — it's about what you'll actually pay when running thousands of requests per day. We pulled pricing directly from our gateway data to give you a clear, no-nonsense comparison across OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google's current model lineups.

## Flagship Models: Head-to-Head

These are the top-tier models from each provider — the ones you'd reach for when quality matters most.

| Model               | Input (per 1M tokens) | Output (per 1M tokens) | Context Window |
| ------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------- |
| **GPT-5**           | $1.25                 | $10.00                 | 400K           |
| **Claude Opus 4.8** | $5.00                 | $25.00                 | 1M             |
| **Gemini 2.5 Pro**  | $1.25                 | $10.00                 | 1M             |

GPT-5 and Gemini 2.5 Pro are priced identically at the flagship tier. Claude Opus 4.8 commands a premium but offers the largest context window at 1M tokens with advanced reasoning capabilities.

**A note on newer tiers:** OpenAI has since shipped GPT-5.5 ($5 / $30 per 1M tokens) and GPT-5.4 ($2.50 / $15) above GPT-5, and Google's Gemini 3.x line (3.1 Pro, 3.5 Flash) now sits above the 2.5 models. The prices below remain accurate for the models named, but two things are worth knowing: Gemini 2.5 Pro rises to $2.50 / $15 above a 200K-token prompt, and Anthropic's newer Opus models (4.7+) use a tokenizer that can consume up to ~35% more tokens for the same text — so real-world cost can climb even when the per-token rate stays flat.

## Mid-Tier Models: Best Balance

For most production use cases, mid-tier models offer the best quality-to-cost ratio.

| Model                 | Input (per 1M tokens) | Output (per 1M tokens) | Context Window |
| --------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------- |
| **GPT-4o**            | $2.50                 | $10.00                 | 128K           |
| **Claude Sonnet 4.6** | $3.00                 | $15.00                 | 200K           |
| **Gemini 2.5 Flash**  | $0.30                 | $2.50                  | 1M             |

Gemini 2.5 Flash is the clear cost leader here — roughly 10x cheaper on input and 4-6x cheaper on output than its competitors, while still offering reasoning capabilities and a massive 1M token context window.

## Budget Models: High-Volume Workloads

When you're processing millions of requests and need to keep costs down.

| Model                     | Input (per 1M tokens) | Output (per 1M tokens) | Context Window |
| ------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------- |
| **GPT-4.1 Nano**          | $0.10                 | $0.40                  | 1M             |
| **Claude Haiku 4.5**      | $1.00                 | $5.00                  | 200K           |
| **Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite** | $0.10                 | $0.40                  | 1M             |

GPT-4.1 Nano and Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite are priced identically and are 10x cheaper than Claude Haiku 4.5. Both also offer 1M token context windows.

## Real-World Cost: 10,000 Requests Per Day

Let's calculate what you'd actually pay. We'll assume an average request of 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens — typical for a chatbot or content generation app. Want to run your own numbers? Plug your token volume into the free [Token Cost Calculator](/token-cost-calculator) to compare any of these models instantly.

**Daily token volume:** 10M input tokens + 5M output tokens

### Flagship Tier Daily Cost

| Model               | Input Cost | Output Cost | Daily Total | Monthly (30 days) |
| ------------------- | ---------- | ----------- | ----------- | ----------------- |
| **GPT-5**           | $12.50     | $50.00      | $62.50      | $1,875            |
| **Claude Opus 4.8** | $50.00     | $125.00     | $175.00     | $5,250            |
| **Gemini 2.5 Pro**  | $12.50     | $50.00      | $62.50      | $1,875            |

### Mid-Tier Daily Cost

| Model                 | Input Cost | Output Cost | Daily Total | Monthly (30 days) |
| --------------------- | ---------- | ----------- | ----------- | ----------------- |
| **GPT-4o**            | $25.00     | $50.00      | $75.00      | $2,250            |
| **Claude Sonnet 4.6** | $30.00     | $75.00      | $105.00     | $3,150            |
| **Gemini 2.5 Flash**  | $3.00      | $12.50      | $15.50      | $465              |

### Budget Tier Daily Cost

| Model                     | Input Cost | Output Cost | Daily Total | Monthly (30 days) |
| ------------------------- | ---------- | ----------- | ----------- | ----------------- |
| **GPT-4.1 Nano**          | $1.00      | $2.00       | $3.00       | $90               |
| **Claude Haiku 4.5**      | $10.00     | $25.00      | $35.00      | $1,050            |
| **Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite** | $1.00      | $2.00       | $3.00       | $90               |

## The Smarter Approach: Use the Right Model for Each Request

These numbers assume you're using a single model for everything — but that's rarely optimal. In practice, most AI applications have a mix of simple and complex requests.

A typical breakdown might look like:

- **70% of requests** are simple (classification, extraction, basic Q&A) → route to budget models
- **20% of requests** are moderate (summarization, content generation) → route to mid-tier models
- **10% of requests** are complex (reasoning, analysis, coding) → route to flagship models

With intelligent routing through an LLM gateway, you can achieve flagship-quality results where it matters while keeping average costs near budget-tier levels.

## Compare Models Side-by-Side

Want to explore pricing for all 200+ models we support? Use our [model comparison tool](/models) to filter by provider, price, context window, and capabilities — then test any model in the [Playground](https://chat.llmgateway.io).

**[Browse all models](/models)** | **[Run the Token Cost Calculator](/token-cost-calculator)** | **[Try the Playground](https://chat.llmgateway.io)** | **[Get started](/signup)**
