# OpenAI API — AI Compare Ninja

> OpenAI's general developer API for text, agents, realtime voice, embeddings and more, billed usage-based per token.

## Overview
- **Category:** Development & Code (Agent & RAG frameworks)
- **Status:** Active · checked - Active.
- **Paid from:** $10 / $50 / per 1M input/output tokens (OpenAI API)
- **Free access:** No free plan published
- **Website:** https://platform.openai.com/
- **Canonical URL:** https://www.aicompare.ninja/en/tool/openai-api

## What it does
- Access to GPT-6 Astra/Sol/Luna, the GPT-5.6 family, o-models, Whisper, TTS, and embeddings through one REST API
- Customizable Agents SDK with precise handoff rules for multi-step AI agents
- Batch API for up to 50 percent price reduction on async runs
- Responses API with built-in web search, code interpreter, and file search
- Realtime API for low-latency audio in and out
- GPT-6 short-context list prices: Astra $10/$50, Sol $2/$10, Luna $0.10/$0.50 per 1M tokens
- gpt-5.6-sol promo: 4 USD input and 20 USD output per 1M tokens, at least through 2026-11-21

## In brief
The OpenAI API offers models for text, code, images and audio, plus tools for search, file analysis and agent workflows. Billing depends on the model and usage; tool and storage charges can be added. ChatGPT subscriptions and API billing are separate.


## Limits
Standalone, usage-based price list on platform.openai.com, separate from ChatGPT subscription plans and from the already-listed OpenAI Image API and OpenAI Codex entries, which only cover narrow slices. Models, prices, and rate limits vary; full table on the official pricing page. gpt-6.1-sol costs 2 USD input and 10 USD output per 1M tokens on standard short context. Ultrafast gpt-6-astra costs 60 USD input and 300 USD output per 1M tokens on short context. gpt-5.6-sol promo, standard short context: 4 USD input and 20 USD output per 1M tokens. Cached input 0.40 USD. Cache writes 5 USD. Long context: 8 USD input and 30 USD output. Cached long input 0.80 USD. Promo pricing is available at least through 2026-11-21. gpt-rosalind-research costs 5 USD input, 0.50 USD cached input and 25 USD output per 1M tokens. Cache-write pricing does not apply. Billing has been active since 2026-10-05 and applies only to approved internal research in the trusted-access program. This is not an open public model. Usage tiers are Free, Build, Launch, and Grow. The tier rises automatically when total credit purchases reach the threshold. Free requires an allowed geography and a monthly usage limit of 100 USD. Build requires 5 USD of total credit purchases and a monthly usage limit of 500 USD. Launch requires 100 USD of total credit purchases and a monthly usage limit of 5000 USD. Grow requires 500 USD of total credit purchases and a monthly usage limit of 200000 USD. Monthly usage limits are separate from spend alerts and hard spend limits. The sample Standard limits differ from Ultrafast. On Build, Astra, Sol, and Terra are 5000 RPM and 1000000 TPM, and Luna is 5000 RPM and 2000000 TPM. On Launch, Astra, Sol, and Terra are 10000 RPM and 4000000 TPM, and Luna is 10000 RPM and 10000000 TPM. On Grow, Astra, Sol, and Terra are 15000 RPM and 40000000 TPM, and Luna is 30000 RPM and 180000000 TPM. Token list prices are unchanged.

## Pricing tiers
| Tier | Price | Period | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OpenAI API | $10 / $50 | per 1M input/output tokens | Access to the GPT-6 flagship family (Astra, Sol, Luna) and the GPT-5.6 family (Sol/Terra/Luna), Agents SDK, Responses API; GPT-6 standard short context per 1M tokens (USD): Astra $10/$50, Sol $2/$10, Luna $0.10/$0.50. Cached: Astra $1, Sol $0.20, Luna $0.01. Long context: Astra $20/$75, Sol $4/$15, Luna $0.20/$0.75. gpt-5.6-sol promo, standard short context: 4 USD input and 20 USD output per 1M tokens. Cached input 0.40 USD. Cache writes 5 USD. Long context: 8 USD input and 30 USD output. Cached long input 0.80 USD. Promo pricing is available at least through 2026-11-21. Decisions API (public beta, POST /v1/decisions) applies only to gpt-6-luna: $0.10 per 1M input tokens, with no output, cache-read, or cache-write charge. Regional processing premiums and long-context multipliers still apply.; Realtime voice API, transcription, embeddings, tool calls; GPT-Live-1: full-duplex voice API (listens and speaks at the same time) at $0.05 per minute, billed by the second; backend model and tools billed separately; Agents API (public beta since September 10, 2026): OpenAI-hosted, managed Codex harness for durable cloud agents with sessions, context compaction, and up to 4 subagents; no separate harness fee, model tokens and tools billed at standard rates, optional hosted sandbox at container rates ($0.03/$0.12/$0.48/$1.92 for 1/4/16/64 GB per 20-minute session); US data residency only, no ZDR; gpt-6.1-sol standard short context: 2 USD input and 10 USD output per 1M tokens. Cached short input is 0.10 USD. Long context: 4 USD input and 15 USD output.; Ultrafast gpt-6-astra short context: 60 USD input and 300 USD output per 1M tokens. Long context: 120 USD input and 450 USD output. Sol Ultrafast is not in the Ultrafast table.; Usage tiers are Free, Build, Launch, and Grow. The tier rises automatically when total credit purchases reach the threshold. Free requires an allowed geography and a monthly usage limit of 100 USD. Build requires 5 USD of total credit purchases and a monthly usage limit of 500 USD. Launch requires 100 USD of total credit purchases and a monthly usage limit of 5000 USD. Grow requires 500 USD of total credit purchases and a monthly usage limit of 200000 USD. Monthly usage limits are separate from spend alerts and hard spend limits. The sample Standard limits differ from Ultrafast. On Build, Astra, Sol, and Terra are 5000 RPM and 1000000 TPM, and Luna is 5000 RPM and 2000000 TPM. On Launch, Astra, Sol, and Terra are 10000 RPM and 4000000 TPM, and Luna is 10000 RPM and 10000000 TPM. On Grow, Astra, Sol, and Terra are 15000 RPM and 40000000 TPM, and Luna is 30000 RPM and 180000000 TPM. Token list prices are unchanged.; Standard up to 272,000 input tokens. Above that: USD 20 input and USD 75 output per million tokens for the entire request. Other processing tiers and extra tools can incur different costs. |

## Sources
All details regarding plans, limits, and features are based on official vendor documentation and the primary sources verified below.

- https://openai.com/api/pricing/
- https://platform.openai.com/
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-6-astra
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing
- https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-live-1-in-the-api/
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/live
- https://openai.com/index/introducing-the-agents-api/
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/agents-api/overview
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/agents-api/quickstart
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/agents
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-5.6-sol
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/decisions
- https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/rate-limits

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*Source: AI Compare Ninja (2026) - https://www.aicompare.ninja/en/tool/openai-api*