Cheap AI models I would use instead of DeepSeek or Kimi
Chinese AI models are cheap. I still will not put one in a business automation. The small models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google now cost about the same, and some cost less. Here are five of them, with prices.
The 5 cheap models
Prices are per 1 million tokens, input / output, checked 10 Oct 2026. For comparison, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $0.15 to $0.30 / $0.60 to $1.20.
- 1
Claude Haiku 5.5
Anthropic
$0.10 input / $0.50 output.
- 2
GPT-6 Luna
OpenAI
$0.10 input / $0.50 output.
- 3
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Google
$0.25 input / $1.50 output.
- 4
Mistral Large
Mistral, France
$0.50 input / $1.50 output.
- 5
gpt-oss-120b
OpenAI's open-weight model, hosted on Groq
$0.15 input / $0.60 output. You can also run it on your own server.
Two ways to cut the bill more
- 1
Use the Batch API
If the job can wait, use the Batch API. Anthropic, OpenAI and Mistral take 50% off.
- 2
Give easy jobs to a small model
Sorting, tagging and summaries can go to a small model. Keep the big one for writing.
Questions people ask
Are these prices current?
They were checked on 10 Oct 2026. Prices change often, so check each provider before you switch.
Why not just use DeepSeek or Kimi?
They are cheap, I will give them that. My reel covers why I still would not use them for business: creative writing scores, distillation allegations and content rules.
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