OpenAI cost and lifecycle tracker
This page is built for the moments when a pricing row moves, a tool charge appears, or a shutdown date lands. It keeps the official OpenAI signals in one operating view so the next decision can close faster.
Last checked
March 12, 2026
Source set
4 official pages
Deprecation cluster
4 live briefs / 0 tracked risks
Start
Read the live changes first.
Open the risk rows that change a date, a replacement path, or a hosted-tool bill before opening any full matrix.
Verify
Check only the rows you would actually pay.
Use the cost and constraint sections to confirm whether the cheap option is still usable under real tool, context, and shutdown pressure.
Escalate
Open a brief only when the plan changes.
Use the detail pages when the decision now depends on migration burden, tool-cost shape, or a dated shutdown path.
Risk watch
This section is the reading spine of the page. Start here when the question is whether cost, migration timing, or replacement burden has already changed enough to alter the plan.
Open the linked brief only when the issue changes implementation, migration sequence, or cost shape. Otherwise, keep scanning vertically and stay in the main read.
Live change
Selected legacy GPT snapshots and older preview aliases are scheduled for shutdown on March 26, 2026.
What changes now
Teams still pinned to dated GPT-4 snapshot names need a deliberate move to the gpt-5 or gpt-4.1 family before the cutoff.
Decision brief
Read migration briefSources
Live change
The deprecations page lists August 26, 2026 as the shutdown date and points new work toward the Responses API plus Conversations API.
What changes now
Any new OpenAI build should treat Assistants as a migration topic, not as a fresh platform choice.
Decision brief
Read migration briefSources
Live change
The beta Realtime interface is deprecated with a shutdown date of May 7, 2026.
What changes now
Teams still budgeting or integrating against beta-era docs should migrate and price the GA Realtime path instead.
Decision brief
Read migration briefSources
Live change
OpenAI schedules May 7, 2026 as the shutdown date for the current gpt-4o preview audio and realtime model group.
What changes now
Teams still pinned to preview model names should move to the listed current realtime or audio families, and beta-interface users may need a separate interface migration as well.
Decision brief
Read migration briefSources
Live change
Current OpenAI pricing splits file search into storage, Responses API tool calls, and model-token exposure rather than a single retrieval fee.
What changes now
A file-search estimate needs storage footprint, call volume, and chosen-model token pressure in the same read or it will miss the real bill.
Decision brief
Open cost briefSources
Live change
Current OpenAI pricing separates standard web search, preview reasoning web search, and preview non-reasoning web search, and search content tokens are not billed the same way on each path.
What changes now
A web-search estimate now needs call volume and the exact search path before the model row can be trusted.
Decision brief
Open cost briefKey cost signals
Most decisions do not need every OpenAI row at once. Start with a small benchmark set across text, image, audio, and embeddings, then expand the full pricing matrix only when family-level verification is necessary.
Flagship text anchor
gpt-5.4 short: $2.50 input / $15.00 output per 1M tokens
Long context raises the same row to $5.00 input and $22.50 output, so context length alone can materially change the estimate.
Open GPT-5.4 pricingPractical low-cost text row
gpt-5-mini: $0.25 input / $2.00 output per 1M tokens
This is the first row many teams should benchmark before paying for higher-end reasoning or larger context windows.
Open GPT-5 mini pricingImage generation floor
GPT Image 1.5 low: $0.009 per 1024x1024 image
Image workloads should be estimated separately from text-token workloads rather than folded into the same mental model.
Realtime audio exposure
gpt-realtime: $40.00 input / $80.00 output per 1M audio tokens
Voice and realtime workloads leave the text-price range quickly, which is why audio needs its own benchmark row up front.
Embedding ingestion baseline
text-embedding-3-large: $0.13 standard / $0.065 batch per 1M tokens
Batch pricing materially changes large ingestion jobs, so the cheaper path may come from workflow design rather than model choice alone.
Full pricing matrix
The complete matrix stays available for verification, but it no longer needs to dominate the page before a decision is framed.
Text and reasoning models
Core GPT-5, o-series, codex, search, and computer-use rows that show up in most direct OpenAI comparisons.
| Model | Context | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-5.4 | Short | $2.50 | $0.25 | $15.00 |
| gpt-5.4 | Long | $5.00 | $0.50 | $22.50 |
| gpt-5.4-pro | Short | $30.00 | N/A | $180.00 |
| gpt-5.4-pro | Long | $60.00 | N/A | $270.00 |
| gpt-5.2 | Standard | $1.25 | $0.13 | $10.00 |
| gpt-5.1 | Standard | $1.25 | $0.13 | $10.00 |
| gpt-5 | Standard | $1.25 | $0.13 | $10.00 |
| gpt-5-mini | Standard | $0.25 | $0.03 | $2.00 |
| gpt-5-nano | Standard | $0.05 | $0.01 | $0.40 |
| gpt-5.3-chat-latest | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $12.00 |
| gpt-5.2-chat-latest | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $12.00 |
| gpt-5.1-chat-latest | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $12.00 |
| gpt-5-chat-latest | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $12.00 |
| gpt-5.3-codex | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $6.00 |
| gpt-5.2-codex | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $6.00 |
| gpt-5.1-codex-max | Standard | $20.00 | N/A | $100.00 |
| gpt-5.1-codex | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $6.00 |
| gpt-5-codex | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $6.00 |
| gpt-5.2-pro | Standard | $15.00 | N/A | $120.00 |
| gpt-5-pro | Standard | $15.00 | N/A | $120.00 |
| gpt-4.1 | Standard | $2.00 | $0.50 | $8.00 |
| gpt-4.1-mini | Standard | $0.40 | $0.10 | $1.60 |
| gpt-4.1-nano | Standard | $0.10 | $0.03 | $0.40 |
| gpt-4o | Standard | $2.50 | $1.25 | $10.00 |
| gpt-4o-2024-05-13 | Standard | $5.00 | N/A | $15.00 |
| gpt-4o-mini | Standard | $0.15 | $0.08 | $0.60 |
| o1 | Standard | $15.00 | $7.50 | $60.00 |
| o1-pro | Standard | $150.00 | N/A | $600.00 |
| o3-pro | Standard | $20.00 | N/A | $80.00 |
| o3 | Standard | $2.00 | $0.50 | $8.00 |
| o3-deep-research | Standard | $10.00 | $2.50 | $40.00 |
| o4-mini | Standard | $1.10 | $0.28 | $4.40 |
| o4-mini-deep-research | Standard | $2.00 | $0.50 | $8.00 |
| o3-mini | Standard | $1.10 | $0.55 | $4.40 |
| o1-mini | Standard | $1.10 | $0.55 | $4.40 |
| gpt-5.1-codex-mini | Standard | $0.40 | $0.04 | $1.50 |
| codex-mini-latest | Standard | $1.50 | $0.15 | $6.00 |
| gpt-5-search-api | Standard | $2.50 | $0.25 | $15.00 |
| gpt-4o-mini-search-preview | Standard | $0.15 | $0.08 | $0.60 |
| gpt-4o-search-preview | Standard | $2.50 | N/A | $10.00 |
| computer-use-preview | Standard | $3.00 | N/A | $12.00 |
This table covers the text-token rows currently listed for text and reasoning models. It excludes image, audio, and embedding families on purpose.
| Model | Context | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-5.4 | Short only | $1.25 | $0.13 | $7.50 |
| gpt-5.4-pro | Short only | $15.00 | N/A | $90.00 |
| gpt-5.2 | Standard | $0.63 | $0.06 | $5.00 |
| gpt-5.1 | Standard | $0.63 | $0.06 | $5.00 |
| gpt-5 | Standard | $0.63 | $0.06 | $5.00 |
| gpt-5-mini | Standard | $0.13 | $0.01 | $1.00 |
| gpt-5-nano | Standard | $0.03 | $0.00 | $0.20 |
| o3 | Standard | $1.00 | $0.25 | $4.00 |
| o4-mini | Standard | $0.55 | $0.14 | $2.20 |
OpenAI currently lists a narrower Batch matrix than the Standard matrix. Models not shown here are not padded with guessed batch rows.
Image models
Image-family pricing is split between image-token billing and per-image generation pricing.
| Mode | Model | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batch | gpt-image-1.5 | $4.00 | $1.00 | $16.00 |
| Batch | chatgpt-image-latest | $4.00 | $1.00 | $16.00 |
| Batch | gpt-image-1 | $2.50 | $0.63 | $10.00 |
| Batch | gpt-image-1-mini | $0.25 | $0.06 | $1.00 |
| Standard | gpt-image-1.5 | $8.00 | $2.00 | $32.00 |
| Standard | chatgpt-image-latest | $8.00 | $2.00 | $32.00 |
| Standard | gpt-image-1 | $5.00 | $1.25 | $20.00 |
| Standard | gpt-image-1-mini | $0.50 | $0.13 | $2.00 |
| Standard | gpt-realtime | $5.00 | $0.50 | N/A |
| Standard | gpt-realtime-1.5 | $5.00 | $0.50 | N/A |
| Standard | gpt-realtime-mini | $0.60 | $0.06 | N/A |
Realtime rows are included here because OpenAI lists image-token pricing for them in the image-token section.
| Model | Quality or mode | Base listed size | Largest listed size |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT Image 1.5 | Low | $0.009 at 1024x1024 | $0.013 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1.5 | Medium | $0.035 at 1024x1024 | $0.053 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1.5 | High | $0.14 at 1024x1024 | $0.21 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image latest | Low | $0.008 at 1024x1024 | $0.012 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image latest | Medium | $0.032 at 1024x1024 | $0.048 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image latest | High | $0.13 at 1024x1024 | $0.19 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1 | Low | $0.011 at 1024x1024 | $0.016 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1 | Medium | $0.042 at 1024x1024 | $0.063 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1 | High | $0.17 at 1024x1024 | $0.25 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1 Mini | Low | $0.009 at 1024x1024 | $0.013 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1 Mini | Medium | $0.035 at 1024x1024 | $0.053 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| GPT Image 1 Mini | High | $0.14 at 1024x1024 | $0.21 at 1024x1536 or 1536x1024 |
| DALL-E 3 | Standard | $0.04 at 1024x1024 | $0.08 at 1024x1792 or 1792x1024 |
| DALL-E 3 | HD | $0.08 at 1024x1024 | $0.12 at 1024x1792 or 1792x1024 |
| DALL-E 2 | Standard | $0.016 at 256x256 | $0.020 at 1024x1024 |
DALL-E sizes differ from the GPT Image family, so the row shows the lowest and largest listed sizes rather than forcing a single shared size grid.
Audio models
Voice workflows need both audio-token pricing and speech or transcription pricing in view.
| Model | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-realtime | $40.00 | $2.50 | $80.00 |
| gpt-realtime-1.5 | $40.00 | $2.50 | $80.00 |
| gpt-realtime-mini | $10.00 | $0.30 | $20.00 |
| gpt-4o-realtime-preview | $100.00 | $20.00 | $200.00 |
| gpt-4o-mini-realtime-preview | $10.00 | $0.30 | $20.00 |
| gpt-audio | $40.00 | $2.50 | $80.00 |
| gpt-audio-1.5 | $40.00 | $2.50 | $80.00 |
| gpt-audio-mini | $10.00 | $0.30 | $20.00 |
| gpt-4o-audio-preview | $100.00 | N/A | $200.00 |
| gpt-4o-mini-audio-preview | $10.00 | N/A | $20.00 |
OpenAI lists some preview rows without cached-input pricing. Those cells are left as N/A rather than inferred.
| Model | Text input | Text output | Audio input | Audio output | Estimate or note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-4o-mini-tts | $0.60 | N/A | N/A | $12.00 | $0.015 per minute |
| gpt-4o-transcribe | $2.50 | $10.00 | $6.00 | N/A | $0.006 per minute |
| gpt-4o-transcribe-diarize | $2.50 | $10.00 | $6.00 | N/A | $0.006 per minute |
| gpt-4o-mini-transcribe | $1.25 | $5.00 | $3.00 | N/A | $0.003 per minute |
| Whisper | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $0.006 per minute transcription |
| TTS | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $15.00 per 1M characters |
| TTS HD | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $30.00 per 1M characters |
This table keeps the official speech and transcription billing lines together even though some are per token, per minute, or per character.
Embedding models
Embedding pricing is simpler than generation pricing, but the batch discount still matters in large-volume ingestion.
| Model | Standard | Batch |
|---|---|---|
| text-embedding-3-large | $0.13 per 1M tokens | $0.065 per 1M tokens |
| text-embedding-3-small | $0.02 per 1M tokens | $0.01 per 1M tokens |
| text-embedding-ada-002 | $0.10 per 1M tokens | N/A |
OpenAI currently lists batch pricing for the text-embedding-3 family but not for text-embedding-ada-002.
Decision constraints
Limits, hosted tools, and shutdown timing are what usually turn a cheap-looking option into the wrong production path. Scan the pressure points first, then expand the evidence tables only when a decision needs proof.
This section now works as a second reading spine. It is for deciding whether the estimate still holds under context limits, tool billing, and lifecycle risk.
Context fit
The cheaper row can still fail on usable context or tool coverage.
gpt-5.4 keeps a 1,048,576-token context window and the widest built-in tool set in the current summary rows, while gpt-5-mini narrows context to 400,000 tokens.
Open limits briefHosted tools
OpenAI-hosted tools create separate bill lines before token spend is finished.
Web search, file search storage, file search tool calls, and code interpreter runtime each add non-trivial cost pressure outside the base model row.
Open container pricingShelf life
A low current price is not a win if the path is already on a shutdown clock.
Assistants, Realtime beta, preview audio and realtime aliases, and legacy GPT snapshots all need lifecycle checks before they are treated as stable choices.
Constraint evidence
This keeps the page readable when the answer is obvious, while leaving the source-shaped tables in place for a harder review.
Limits and context coverage
Model availability and usable limits belong next to price because they determine whether the cheaper row is actually usable.
| Model | Context window | Max output | Built-in tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| gpt-5.4 | 1,048,576 tokens | 128,000 tokens | Functions, web search, file search, skills, image generation, code interpreter, MCP |
| gpt-5-mini | 400,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens | Functions, web search, file search, MCP |
| gpt-4.1 | 1,047,576 tokens | 32,768 tokens | Functions, fine-tuning, web search, file search, image generation |
A lower-cost row is not the better choice if it misses the context size or tool path the app actually needs.
Tool-cost coverage
Hosted tool charges materially change the OpenAI bill and still need to stay separate from the model-family pricing matrix.
| Tool | Current cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Web search | $10 per 1K calls | Search content tokens are billed at the model's token rates for all models. |
| File search storage | $0.10 per GB per day | The first 1 GB is free. |
| File search tool calls | $2.50 per 1K calls | Applies to the Responses API path. |
| Code interpreter container | $0.03 per container | Starting March 31, 2026, usage shifts to $0.03 per container per 20 minutes. |
If a workflow uses OpenAI-hosted tools, the budgeting question is tokens plus model-family rows plus tool rows plus runtime behavior.
Deprecation coverage
Shutdown dates and replacement paths belong in the same view as price whenever the integration has a shelf life.
| System | Shutdown date | Replacement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selected legacy GPT snapshots | March 26, 2026 | gpt-5 or gpt-4.1 family | OpenAI places legacy GPT-4 snapshot IDs and older preview aliases on a March 26, 2026 shutdown path, with replacement guidance pointing to the gpt-5 or gpt-4.1 family. |
| gpt-4o preview audio and realtime models | May 7, 2026 | gpt-realtime-1.5, gpt-realtime-mini, gpt-audio-1.5, or gpt-audio-mini | OpenAI has also dated the shutdown of several gpt-4o preview realtime and audio models, with replacement paths now pointing to the current realtime and audio families. |
| Realtime API beta | May 7, 2026 | Realtime API | OpenAI marks the beta Realtime interface deprecated and routes teams to the GA Realtime API before the shutdown date. |
| Assistants API | August 26, 2026 | Responses API plus Conversations API | OpenAI marks the Assistants API deprecated and directs new work toward the Responses API plus the Conversations API. |
A lower current price does not reduce risk if the chosen API path or snapshot is already on a shutdown clock.
Sources of record
This list stays narrow on purpose. It sits after cost and constraint review so the docs support the decision instead of replacing the page flow.
Use this when a hosted tool charge, model row, or token rule needs confirmation against the source of record.
Open official pageUse this when a cheap-looking model still needs validation against support, availability, or family fit.
Open official pageUse this when the pricing question is no longer enough because the current path may already be on a shutdown clock.
Open official pageUse this when you need to confirm whether the change is newly published and still active in the current API surface.
Open official pageWorkload compare preview
This sample compare uses one realistic OpenAI workload to show where model price helps, where hosted tools dominate, and what should be checked before switching downmarket.
Worked example
Keep this section as a worked example. It should teach the cost shape of a real decision without pretending a live calculator is already shipped.
Monthly workload
20M input tokens and 4M output tokens on a current Responses API path.
Hosted retrieval
40,000 file search tool calls per month with an average 30 GB vector-store footprint.
Compared options
gpt-5.4 short context versus gpt-5-mini on the same workload.
Lifecycle posture
No dated shutdown pressure in this sample, so the call is cost and support fit rather than migration timing.
Model option
~$297 per month
Model spend
~$110 model spend plus the same file-search envelope.
Tool cost exposure
~$187 in hosted retrieval cost, driven by 40,000 tool calls and 30 GB average storage.
Constraint risk
Lower support risk in this sample because the current summary rows keep the widest context window and tool coverage.
Recommended next check
Use this path only if the larger context window or broader built-in tool set is actually required by the app.
Model option
~$200 per month
Model spend
~$13 model spend plus the same file-search envelope.
Tool cost exposure
~$187 in hosted retrieval cost, which means the model swap saves less than the retrieval layer costs.
Constraint risk
Higher fit risk because the current summary rows narrow context to 400,000 tokens even though file search support remains in place.
Recommended next check
Choose this row only after confirming the smaller context window and lighter tool envelope still support the actual workload.
Estimated monthly cost
The swap from gpt-5.4 to gpt-5-mini saves about $97 per month in this sample, but most of the bill still comes from file search rather than model tokens.
Tool cost exposure
Hosted retrieval is the first optimization target because it stays roughly $187 per month on both options before token differences are even considered.
Recommended next check
Validate whether the workload truly needs gpt-5.4-level context and tool breadth; if not, the cheaper model can work, but the larger savings may come from reducing retrieval calls or storage footprint.
This is a sample compare, not a live calculator. It combines the current page's published model rows with the listed file-search storage and tool-call charges to show how a real estimate can tilt.
Next move
These checks are meant to turn the current facts into a concrete budget, comparison, or migration call.
Step 1
If the workflow uses web search, file search, or code interpreter, add those charges before comparing OpenAI to another provider.
Step 2
Context window, output cap, and tool support can invalidate a low-cost option before it reaches production.
Step 3
Before committing to an API path, confirm whether it is current, deprecated, or already on a migration timeline.
Popular decisions
These pages answer the queries most likely to become their own search session: a direct model compare, a cheapest-fit use case, and a transparent pricing calculator.
Model compare
Use the side-by-side brief when the decision depends on price, context, output caps, and tool support together.
Open GPT-5.4 vs GPT-5 miniUse case
Open the extraction brief when the real question is cheapest viable structured extraction, not cheapest generic chat row.
Open extraction recommendationCalculator
Run a transparent estimate with token, search, file, and container inputs when the budget now needs a line-item number.
Open pricing calculatorOpenAI work queue
Each one is chosen for a specific pricing, tool-cost, fit, or migration question that still needs its own page.
The current OpenAI coverage is clear for now. New pages will be added when another cost, fit, or lifecycle question needs its own page.
Continue the site
Use the groups below to move laterally through the decision, not back out into another doc hunt.
Related pages
Stay in the same decision neighborhood instead of backing out to search.
Model pricing, hosted-tool costs, and fit constraints that materially change the operating estimate.
Open pageShutdown dates, migration paths, and replacement decisions grouped into live provider clusters.
Open pageSide-by-side model comparisons and scenario recommendation pages for cost-sensitive decisions.
Open pageCompare pages
Open the pages that turn this topic into a side-by-side decision.
Replacement pages
Use the likely substitutes, migration targets, or fallback choices as the next click.
Source category pages
Trace the source families behind this page instead of opening random docs in isolation.
Official pricing pages used to support model, tool-cost, and calculator estimates.
Open pageOfficial model pages used for context windows, output caps, and built-in tool coverage.
Open pageOfficial shutdown, migration, and replacement references behind lifecycle pages.
Open pageOfficial changelog sources used to confirm whether a pricing or lifecycle change is current.
Open page