ChatGPT vs Claude API Cost
Price the same workload on OpenAI GPT (the models behind ChatGPT) and Anthropic Claude side by side, with Gemini for reference, counting the extra tokens Claude’s tokenizer uses for the same text.
Last updated: October 2026
Cost difference (Claude − OpenAI)
-$21.44
Formula below · 4 sources (developers.openai.com, platform.claude.com, ai.google.dev, help.openai.com) · Updated Oct 2026
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About this calculator
Per-token prices alone do not answer "is ChatGPT or Claude cheaper?", because the two count tokens differently. By the providers’ own rules of thumb for English, OpenAI models use about one token per ¾ word, while Claude’s current tokenizer fits about 555,000 words in a million tokens: the same text is about 1.35× as many Claude tokens. Measuring the workload in words lets each model count its own tokens:
tokens = words ÷ words per token (0.75 OpenAI, 0.555 Claude, 0.7 Gemini) cost = requests × (input tokens × input price + output tokens × output price) ÷ 1,000,000
The headline is the Claude cost minus the OpenAI cost: negative means Claude is cheaper for this workload. Choose "Tokens" when you already know the token counts from each API’s usage report.
The ChatGPT apps are subscriptions; developers reach the same model family through the OpenAI API, which is what is priced here. Prices are standard list prices as of October 2026 (see the table), including GPT-6’s higher rate for prompts over 272,000 tokens and Claude Haiku 5.5’s for prompts over 100,000. Caching and batch discounts, which both providers offer, are left out. Cost is not quality: run your own prompts on both before choosing.
| Model | Input | Output | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6 Astra | $10 | $50 | $20 / $75 over 272K-token prompts |
| GPT-6.1 Sol | $2 | $10 | $4 / $15 over 272K-token prompts |
| GPT-6 Luna | $0.10 | $0.50 | $0.20 / $0.75 over 272K-token prompts |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | $10 | $50 | |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | $4 | $20 | |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $2 | $10 | |
| Claude Haiku 5.5 | $0.10 | $0.50 | $0.50 / $2.50 over 100K-token prompts |
| Gemini 4 Argon | $2 | $10 | to Nov 30, 2026 |
| Gemini 4 Argon | $4 | $20 | from Dec 1, 2026 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | $0.75 | $3.75 | to Dec 31, 2026 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | $1.50 | $7.50 | from Jan 1, 2027 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | $0.30 | $2.50 |
How to use
Describe one request (input and output length) and the number of requests, then choose the OpenAI and Claude models to compare. Gemini tiles show the same workload on three Google models. Example (the defaults): 1,000 requests of 1,500 words in and 400 words out. GPT-6 Astra ($10 / $50): 1,500 ÷ 0.75 = 2,000 input and 533.3 output tokens, so 1,000 × (2,000 × 10 + 533.3 × 50) ÷ 1M = $46.67. Claude Opus 5.5 ($4 / $20): 2,702.7 input and 720.7 output tokens, so 1,000 × (2,702.7 × 4 + 720.7 × 20) ÷ 1M = $25.23. Difference −$21.44: Opus 5.5 costs 0.54× as much despite the extra tokens. Gemini 4 Argon at its current price: 2,142.9 and 571.4 tokens → $10.00. Example 2: GPT-6.1 Sol against Claude Sonnet 5.5 (both $2 / $10) with the same words: $9.33 vs $12.61, a difference of +$3.28. Equal prices, but Claude counts 1.35× the tokens, so it costs 1.35× as much.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude or ChatGPT cheaper to use through the API?
It depends on the models you compare. At October 2026 list prices, Claude Opus 5.5 ($4 / $20) undercuts GPT-6 Astra ($10 / $50) by more than the extra tokens Claude counts, while GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5 have the same per-token price, so Sonnet ends up about 35% dearer for the same English text. GPT-6 Luna and Claude Haiku 5.5 are both $0.10 / $0.50 for short prompts.
Why does Claude use more tokens for the same text?
Each provider trains its own tokenizer. Anthropic states that the tokenizer introduced with Claude Opus 4.7 produces about 30% more tokens than its previous one and fits about 555,000 English words in 1 million tokens. OpenAI’s rule of thumb is about ¾ of a word per token, or 750,000 words per million.
Is the ChatGPT subscription priced the same way?
No. ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro are flat monthly subscriptions with usage limits, not per-token billing. The subscription vs API calculator compares a monthly plan with paying per token for the same usage.
How current are the prices?
They are the standard list prices on the OpenAI, Anthropic and Google pricing pages as of October 2026 (checked 17 October 2026), before taxes, volume discounts or regional surcharges. Google has announced increases for Gemini 4 Argon (from December 1, 2026) and Gemini 3.8 Flash (from January 1, 2027); both prices are in the list. Providers change prices often, so confirm on the official pricing page before you commit a budget.
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