Top 5 Cheapest LLM APIs in 2026

Choose an LLM API for 2026 by how much you need to put in before you can start, and what free credit is available. This ranking compares five pay-as-you-go platforms, with practical notes on model coverage, API compatibility and limits.

How we ranked these LLM APIs

For this page, we focus on the money needed to get started, not model quality. We compare each provider’s stated minimum top-up first, then consider free credit as an additional way to try the service. A missing minimum top-up is not the same as a confirmed zero minimum, so we treat it as unlisted rather than assuming you can begin without adding funds. That distinction matters here: Eden AI and WaveSpeedAI list free credit but no minimum top-up, while CometAPI and Novita AI state the same minimum. AI/ML API lists a higher minimum than those two.

All five offer pay-as-you-go pricing, so your ongoing bill depends on usage rather than a required subscription. We also note model range, supported task types and OpenAI-compatible APIs because those can reduce friction when you are choosing a low-commitment starting point. These are listed features, not a judgement of which provider produces the best outputs. The order below follows the supplied ranking, including its handling of unlisted top-up thresholds.

1. CometAPI

CometAPI is a practical entry point if you want a broad model catalogue and a familiar API format, and can meet its listed minimum top-up. The platform offers pay-as-you-go access, OpenAI-compatible API support and 500 models. It lists a small amount of free credit, but that does not remove the stated top-up requirement. For a developer testing a text workflow that may later expand to other media, the mix of model makers and task types is useful.

• Strengths: OpenAI-compatible API; 500 models from providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek and Meta; text, image, video, audio and embedding models; routing and fallback; a listed 99.9% uptime SLA.
• Limits: A minimum top-up is required, and the free credit is limited. Credit card is the only listed payment method. Support is by email and knowledge base.

Choose CometAPI if you value breadth and compatibility more than the lowest possible initial commitment. Its listed image and video generation support also makes it suitable for trying more than text through one platform.

2. Novita AI

Novita AI matches CometAPI’s listed minimum top-up and is the stronger fit if you specifically want access to open-source models. It offers pay-as-you-go billing, 200 models and an OpenAI-compatible API. Its catalogue includes text, image, video and audio models, with image and video generation listed. The model count is lower than several providers on this page, but the open-source offering is a useful differentiator for developers comparing model options.

• Strengths: Open-source models; OpenAI-compatible API; text, image, video and audio coverage; pay-as-you-go; credit card and Apple Pay are listed payment methods; GPU cloud is available.
• Limits: A minimum top-up is required, and no free credit is listed. The catalogue is smaller than those of CometAPI, Eden AI, WaveSpeedAI and AI/ML API. Email is the listed support channel.

Pick Novita AI when open-source access matters and you are comfortable funding an account before experimenting. It is less appealing if your priority is free credit or a very large stated catalogue.

3. Eden AI

Eden AI stands out for its listed free credit and broad selection: 1,000 models spanning text, image, video and speech. It also offers pay-as-you-go billing, an OpenAI-compatible API and routing with fallback. No minimum top-up is listed, which is not a guarantee that none applies; check the provider’s current account terms before you begin. The combination of free credit and live chat makes it a strong option for evaluating a multi-provider API.

• Strengths: 1,000 models from providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, DeepSeek and Amazon; free credit; routing and fallback; live chat; listed 99.99% uptime SLA; credit card and bank transfer are supported.
• Limits: The minimum top-up is not stated in the listing, so confirm it directly. The listed model types include speech rather than audio, and there is no stated open-source-model feature.

Choose Eden AI if you want to explore many providers and use free credit before committing. Its wide catalogue is useful for comparing integrations, but this ranking does not assess model output quality.

4. WaveSpeedAI

WaveSpeedAI offers the widest stated range of task types among these five, with 1,100 models covering text, image, video, audio, music and 3D. It lists free credit and pay-as-you-go billing, but no minimum top-up. As with Eden AI, an unlisted threshold should not be read as a confirmed zero. OpenAI-compatible API support is included, so it may suit projects that need to try creative media models as well as language models.

• Strengths: 1,100 models; six listed model types, including music and 3D; free credit; OpenAI-compatible API; image and video generation; a listed 99.99% uptime SLA.
• Limits: No minimum top-up is listed, so verify the account requirements. The listing does not state routing and fallback, open-source models or a support channel.

Consider WaveSpeedAI if your experiments involve several media formats and you want a broad catalogue. If you only need a basic text API, its extra range may not help you decide where to start.

5. AI/ML API

AI/ML API has 500 models and unusually broad task coverage: text, image, video, audio, speech, music, embeddings and 3D. It supports OpenAI-compatible requests and routing with fallback, and offers pay-as-you-go billing. Its listed minimum top-up is higher than CometAPI’s and Novita AI’s, and it lists no free credit. That makes it a less attractive first stop when your main goal is to minimise the initial commitment.

• Strengths: Eight listed model types; open-source models; routing and fallback; OpenAI-compatible API; listed 99.99% uptime SLA; image and video generation.
• Limits: The highest stated minimum top-up among the five and no free credit. The catalogue has fewer models than Eden AI and WaveSpeedAI.

Choose AI/ML API if you need its particular mix of modalities, open-source models and routing features, and the higher entry requirement is acceptable. It is not the best fit for a low-commitment trial.

Products that did not make the list

PiAPI offers pay-as-you-go access and some free credit, but an OpenAI-compatible API is not listed, so it misses a feature shared by all five ranked options. BeeSwitch combines a subscription with usage charges rather than offering a straightforward pay-as-you-go entry point, so it does not fit this ranking.

How to choose an LLM API on a small starting budget

First, separate a listed top-up requirement from free credit. Credit can help you test requests, but it does not necessarily waive a minimum deposit or cover every model. Before creating an account, confirm the provider’s current funding rules and which models the credit can be used for. This is especially relevant for Eden AI and WaveSpeedAI, where no minimum top-up is listed here.

Next, choose the narrowest set of capabilities that matches your first task. For text-only prototyping, OpenAI-compatible API support may make integration simpler if your existing code uses that format. If you want to compare open-source options, Novita AI and AI/ML API list them. For image, video or other media experiments, CometAPI, Eden AI, WaveSpeedAI and AI/ML API list a wider mix of modalities.

Finally, do not treat model count as a quality score. A larger catalogue gives you more listed options, but does not tell you which model will perform best for your prompts or budget. Start with one small workflow, check the provider’s current usage terms, and compare the actual model choices available to your account. In 2026, the cheapest way to begin is the option with a funding threshold you can meet and features you will genuinely use.