OpenAI API Pricing History
By Paige Gilmore, Founder, NetLift · Published 2026-07-28 · Updated 2026-08-07
Prices checked 2026-08-02 against official vendor pricing pages.
On July 27, 2026, OpenAI moved its ChatGPT Go, Plus, and Pro plans from fixed monthly rates to a sales-led model. Current API rates vary widely by model performance, with input costs ranging from $0.20 to $32.00 per 1M tokens.
OpenAI recently transitioned its core ChatGPT subscription tiers—Go, Plus, and Pro—from fixed monthly fees to negotiated pricing. Before July 27, 2026, these plans were listed at $8, $20, and $100 per month. The ChatGPT Free tier remains at $0, though all professional and research-oriented plans now require direct sales engagement.
For API integration, the pricing structure remains token-based and highly granular. Rates are determined by the specific model version and context length, with gpt-5.4-nano representing the entry-level cost at $0.20 per 1M input tokens, while high-performance models like gpt-5.5-pro reach $180.00 per 1M output tokens.
OpenAI API pricing history
| Date | Plan | Previous price | New price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — sora-2-pro Standard 1080p | $0.7 | $0.7 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — sora-2 Standard 720p | $0.1 | $0.1 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — o4-mini-2025-04-16 Training | $100 | $100 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-transcribe | $0 | $0 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-translate Audio Output | $0.03 | $0.03 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Text Output | $24 | $24 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Text Input | $4 | $4 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Audio Output | $64 | $64 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Audio Input | $32 | $32 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-image-2 Image Output | $30 | $30 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-terra (Standard Short Context) Output | $12 | $12 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-terra (Standard Short Context) Input | $2 | $2 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Short Context) Output | $30 | $30 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Short Context) Input | $5 | $5 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Long Context) Output | $45 | $45 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Long Context) Input | $10 | $10 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-luna (Standard Short Context) Output | $1.20 | $1.20 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-luna (Standard Short Context) Input | $0.2 | $0.2 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.5-pro (Standard Short Context) Output | $180 | $180 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.5-pro (Standard Short Context) Input | $30 | $30 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.5 (Standard Short Context) Output | $30 | $30 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.5 (Standard Short Context) Input | $5 | $5 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-pro (Standard Short Context) Output | $180 | $180 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-pro (Standard Short Context) Input | $30 | $30 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-nano (Standard Short Context) Output | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-nano (Standard Short Context) Input | $0.2 | $0.2 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-mini (Standard Short Context) Output | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-mini (Standard Short Context) Input | $0.75 | $0.75 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4 (Standard Short Context) Output | $15 | $15 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — gpt-5.4 (Standard Short Context) Input | $2.50 | $2.50 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — Web search preview (non-reasoning models) | $25 | $25 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — Web search (all models) | $10 | $10 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — Web search | $10 | $10 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — Hosted Shell and Code Interpreter (1 GB) | $0.03 | $0.03 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — File search Storage | $0.1 | $0.1 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — Codex gpt-5.3-codex Input | $1.75 | $1.75 |
| 2026-08-07 | OpenAI API — ChatGPT chat-latest Input | $5 | $5 |
NetLift has monitored the official OpenAI API pricing page since 2026-07-28. 37 change(s) recorded so far.
Current verified prices
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT — Business (Annual Billing) | $20 | per seat / month | Requires 2+ users. Nonprofits eligible for up to 75% discount. |
| ChatGPT — Business (Monthly Billing) | $25 | per seat / month | Requires 2+ users. Nonprofits eligible for up to 75% discount. |
| ChatGPT — Enterprise | Contact sales | per seat / month | Contact sales for pricing. Billed annually. Nonprofits eligible for up to 75% discount. |
Current verified per-token prices
| Model / rate | Price | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-luna (Standard Short Context) Input | $0.2 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-nano (Standard Short Context) Input | $0.2 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-mini (Standard Short Context) Input | $0.75 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-luna (Standard Short Context) Output | $1.20 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-nano (Standard Short Context) Output | $1.25 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — Codex gpt-5.3-codex Input | $1.75 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-terra (Standard Short Context) Input | $2 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4 (Standard Short Context) Input | $2.50 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Text Input | $4 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-mini (Standard Short Context) Output | $4.50 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Short Context) Input | $5 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.5 (Standard Short Context) Input | $5 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — ChatGPT chat-latest Input | $5 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Long Context) Input | $10 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-terra (Standard Short Context) Output | $12 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4 (Standard Short Context) Output | $15 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Text Output | $24 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Short Context) Output | $30 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.5 (Standard Short Context) Output | $30 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.5-pro (Standard Short Context) Input | $30 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-pro (Standard Short Context) Input | $30 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-image-2 Image Output | $30 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Audio Input | $32 | per 1M input tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Long Context) Output | $45 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-realtime-2.1 Audio Output | $64 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.5-pro (Standard Short Context) Output | $180 | per 1M output tokens |
| OpenAI API — gpt-5.4-pro (Standard Short Context) Output | $180 | per 1M output tokens |
How does the shift to "Contact Sales" affect procurement?
The removal of transparent pricing for the Go, Plus, and Pro plans suggests a move toward volume-based enterprise discounting or customized service-level agreements. For Finance and Procurement teams, this change necessitates usage-based forecasting to negotiate effective per-seat or per-org rates, as the previous $8 to $100 benchmarks no longer serve as public ceilings.
Which models offer the highest cost efficiency?
There is a significant price spread between model families. The "mini" and "nano" variants, such as gpt-5.4-mini at $0.75 per 1M input tokens, provide a lower-cost alternative for high-volume tasks compared to the standard gpt-5.5 or gpt-5.6-sol models. Organizations must weigh the cost of "Long context" models, which can double the input price, against the specific requirements of their internal applications.
To determine if these API costs translate into a positive net return, organizations must look beyond the invoice and measure the specific time saved versus manual baselines. NetLift enables Finance and AI leaders to correlate token spend with evidence of productivity gains, ensuring that the premium paid for high-output models like gpt-5.5-pro is offset by verifiable efficiency improvements.
Sources
All pricing on this page comes from official vendor pages:
- https://openai.com/business/pricing/ — retrieved 2026-08-07
- https://platform.openai.com/docs/pricing — retrieved 2026-08-07
Frequently asked questions
What were the previous prices for ChatGPT subscription plans?
Until July 27, 2026, the ChatGPT Go plan was $8, the Plus plan was $20, and the Pro plan was $100 per month. These have all since transitioned to a 'Contact sales' model.
What is the cost of the latest o3-deep-research model?
The o3-deep-research model is priced at $5.00 per 1M input tokens and $20.00 per 1M output tokens.
Are there different rates for cached inputs?
Yes, for example, gpt-5.6-sol (Standard Short context) offers a cached input rate of $0.50 per 1M tokens, which is significantly lower than its standard input rate of $5.00.
Does the pricing reflect the cost of US guardrails or rogue agent prevention?
While there is community discussion regarding the costs associated with AI guardrails, OpenAI's official pricing data focuses on token consumption and model performance tiers. There is no specific line item in the current pricing for guardrail-related overhead.
About the author
Paige Gilmore is the founder of NetLift, the AI Value Management platform that helps organisations measure the cost, savings and return of AI adoption. Paige Gilmore on LinkedIn