5 Ways to Cut Your LLM API Bill in 2026

AI API costs add up fast. Five tactics that actually move the needle:

1. Use a reseller discount

Resellers routinely price 5–25% below official rates. Start from the GPT-4o price ranking.

2. Match the model to the task

Don't run GPT-4o where GPT-4o mini or DeepSeek V3 would do. Compare per-model prices on the models page.

3. Cap output tokens

Output tokens are the expensive half. Set sensible max_tokens.

4. Cache and batch

Reuse results and batch low-priority jobs on cheaper, higher-latency providers — see fastest vs. cheapest.

5. Watch reliability, not just price

Retries from an unstable provider cost money too. Check the most reliable ranking.

Shortlist and compare providers side by side before you commit.