The cheapest LLM API in 2026 — verified, not vibes
Every platform on this list claims to be the cheapest. Only one re-verifies competitor pricing with Firecrawl crawls and publishes the results so you can check the math yourself. Here's our honest ranking — including where each rival genuinely beats us.
| # | Platform | Pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intelliverse | Flat plans $0–$100/mo, Enterprise custom | Everything in one API, verified cheapest total cost |
| 2 | DeepInfra | Pay-per-token, no minimums | Cheapest raw open-weights tokens |
| 3 | KieAI (kie.ai) | Credit wallet (1 credit ≈ $0.005) | Cheap one-off media generations |
| 4 | OpenRouter | Prepaid credits + 5.5% top-up fee | Maximum model choice |
| 5 | PiAPI | Credits per call or $5–10/seat/mo | Per-call trending video APIs |
Intelliverse
Teams that want one API, zero model decisions, and a predictable billFlat plans from $10/mo (Air) with routed LLM capability classes, one iv_credits balance that also buys images, video, voiceover, music and 3D, and a per-App-ID knowledge base. The only platform on this list that re-verifies competitor prices with Firecrawl crawls — and prices to a 3x+ ROI floor audited nightly. Free plan available.
See plans →DeepInfra
Raw open-weights tokens at rock-bottom pricesIf an open-weights model fits your task and you're happy owning benchmarks and evals, DeepInfra's pay-per-token rates (small models from $0.02/M input, checked Jul 2026) are extremely hard to beat. No media bundle, no memory, no routing — it's infrastructure, not a product.
Full comparison →KieAI (kie.ai)
Cheap one-off media generations from a credit walletA discount reseller advertising 20–86% below official API rates (self-reported, checked Jul 2026) across ~343 model rows. Headline prices are real bargains per generation, but sourcing is undisclosed, prices are dynamic, and there's no routing, memory, or formal enterprise tier.
Full comparison →OpenRouter
Maximum model choice with pass-through token pricingThe definitive LLM marketplace: 300+ models, true provider pass-through rates, great failover. Just remember the 5.5% platform fee on card top-ups ($0.80 minimum) and the 5% BYOK fee past 1M requests/mo (checked Jul 2026) — and that model selection and upkeep are your job.
Full comparison →PiAPI
Per-call access to trending video APIsCheap per-call media (Kling video from $0.26 per 5s clip, checked Jul 2026), but built substantially on unofficial APIs — its Midjourney API is currently unavailable and its Suno API was discontinued. Fine for experiments; risky as a production dependency.
Full comparison →How we define “cheapest”
Not the lowest single per-token number — the lowest total cost for a real product: LLM traffic, media generation, memory/RAG, and the engineering hours you don't spend benchmarking models. Raw-token specialists like DeepInfra win narrow text-only workloads and we say so. For the full stack, a Pro plan at $30/mo flat — with 30,000 monthly credits for media and a knowledge base — wins, and our Firecrawl-checked comparisons on the compare hub let you audit that claim.