GPT-5.2API Pricing

GPT-5 API Pricing: What It Costs and How to Save

OpenAI's GPT-5.2 remains the most widely adopted commercial LLM API, but per-token costs add up fast at scale. Here's the full pricing picture for 2026 and how to optimize your spend.

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You only pay credits per request. No monthly subscription. Paid credits never expire.

Replace multiple AI subscriptions with one wallet that includes routing, failover, and optimization.

First success in 60 seconds
Step 01Sign up in 10 secondsGet 40 free creditsStep 02Open your dashboardCreate API keyStep 03Send first requestRun a sample
Why teams start here first
No monthly subscription
Pay-as-you-go credits
Start with trial credits, then buy only what you consume.
Failover safety
Production-ready routing
Auto fallback across providers when latency, quality, or reliability changes.
Data control
Your policy, your choice
BYOK and zero-retention mode keep training and storage scope explicit.
Single API experience
One key, multi-provider access
Use Chat/Compare/Blend/Judge/Failover from one dashboard.
OpenAI API pricing (reference)

Kept as reference for model evaluation. LLMWise pricing shown below is request-based credits.

TierInput / 1M tokensOutput / 1M tokensContextNote
GPT-5.2$3.00$12.00256K tokensFlagship model with vision, function calling, and structured outputs. Best overall accuracy across benchmarks.
GPT-5.2 Mini$0.30$1.20128K tokens10x cheaper than the full model with 90%+ quality on most tasks. Ideal for classification, extraction, and simple Q&A.
GPT-5.2 with Reasoning$12.00$48.00256K tokensChain-of-thought reasoning mode for complex math, logic, and multi-step problems. Billed per reasoning token.
User-facing pricing is request-based, not per token
Evidence snapshot

GPT-5.2 pricing analysis

Current GPT-5.2 billing context: compare providers, then run the same workload on LLMWise for request-based credits.

LLMWise usage
Chat 1, Compare 3, Blend 4, Judge 5, Failover 1
fixed credits per request
Pricing tiers
3
provider options for this model family
LLMWise scenario cost
$49.50/mo with LLMWise auto-routing (routes simple queries to GPT-5.2 Mini)
10,000 chat messages per month (avg 800 input + 400 output tokens each)
Savings result
31% savings — $270/year saved by intelligently routing easy queries to cheaper tiers
based on workload mix and routing auto-mode
Usage starts-to-finish

Example: Product support workload

If your team sends 20 support messages a day in Chat mode, you typically use around 600 credits each month (1 credit/request).

Workflow
20 req/day
Chat mode / 1 credit each
Monthly estimate
600 credits
before optional auto-topup
What you get
Predictable
same behavior, single model switch
Try this scenario in your dashboard

Why people use LLMWise

API key setup
Single LLMWise API key accesses GPT-5.2 and 8 other models instantly
See OpenAI comparison
Create OpenAI account, generate key, manage billing separately
Billing model
Credit-based pay-per-use with predictable request costs. Paid credits do not expire.
See OpenAI comparison
Pay-as-you-go per token with monthly invoices
Failover
Automatic circuit-breaker failover to Claude or Gemini within 300ms
See OpenAI comparison
None — if OpenAI is down, your app is down
Model switching
Change one parameter in the request body — same endpoint, same key
See OpenAI comparison
Change SDK, rewrite prompts, update API keys
Rate limits
Pooled rate limits across providers — effectively 3x higher throughput
See OpenAI comparison
Tier-based limits (500 RPM on Tier 1, up to 10K on Tier 5)
Free tier
40 free trial credits on signup — then pay per use with non-expiring paid credits
See OpenAI comparison
No free tier for production usage
Cost example

10,000 chat messages per month (avg 800 input + 400 output tokens each)

LLMWise total
$49.50/mo with LLMWise auto-routing (routes simple queries to GPT-5.2 Mini)
You save
31% savings — $270/year saved by intelligently routing easy queries to cheaper tiers
Optional: reference direct API cost

$72.00/mo with GPT-5.2 ($24.00 input + $48.00 output)

GPT-5.2 is the safest default for production apps, but paying full price for every request is wasteful. LLMWise's auto-router sends straightforward queries to GPT-5.2 Mini at 1/10th the cost while reserving the flagship model for complex tasks. If you need guaranteed OpenAI-only routing, bring your own API key to LLMWise and get failover plus analytics for free.

Common questions

How much does GPT-5 API cost per token in 2026?
GPT-5.2 costs $3.00 per million input tokens and $12.00 per million output tokens. The Mini variant is significantly cheaper at $0.30/$1.20 per million tokens, making it suitable for high-volume workloads where top-tier accuracy isn't essential.
Is there a free tier for the GPT-5 API?
OpenAI does not offer a free tier for GPT-5.2. New accounts receive a small trial credit, but production usage requires a paid plan. LLMWise gives you 40 free trial credits at signup, which covers approximately 40 GPT-5.2 chat completions.
How can I reduce my GPT-5 API costs?
The most effective strategies are: (1) route simple queries to GPT-5.2 Mini instead of the flagship model, (2) use prompt caching for repeated prefixes, (3) set max_tokens to avoid runaway outputs, and (4) use LLMWise auto-routing to automatically pick the cheapest model that can handle each query.
Is GPT-5.2 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.5?
GPT-5.2 is slightly more expensive on input tokens ($3.00 vs $2.50 per million) but comparably priced on output ($12.00 vs $10.00). For cost-sensitive workloads, GPT-5.2 Mini at $0.30/$1.20 undercuts Claude Haiku 4.5 at $0.20/$0.80 on output but is pricier on input.

One wallet, enterprise AI controls built in

You only pay credits per request. No monthly subscription. Paid credits never expire.

Replace multiple AI subscriptions with one wallet that includes routing, failover, and optimization.

Chat, Compare, Blend, Judge, MeshPolicy routing + replay labFailover without extra subscriptions
Start free with 40 creditsSee pricing examples
Related pages
Claude Sonnet 4.5 PricingGemini 3 Flash PricingDeepSeek V3 PricingLlama 4 Maverick PricingGrok 3 PricingCheapest LLM API: Best Value AI Models for Developers