LLM APIs · Comparison
Anthropic API (Claude) vs Google Gemini API vs Mistral AI API vs OpenAI API
4 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Anthropic API (Claude) | Google Gemini API | Mistral AI API | OpenAI API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Worth the priceClaude models from Haiku 5.5 at $0.10 / $0.50 per 1M tokens up to Fable 5.1, with no training on API data and a BAA you can sign in the console. | Easy to adoptGoogle's Gemini models by the token in US dollars, with an ongoing free tier to start and batch, flex and caching discounts to scale. | Worth the priceLow per-token prices on small open-weight models, with EU or US processing you can choose yourself and spending caps per workspace. | Saves engineering timeOne API key for OpenAI's GPT-6 models and hosted tools, priced per token with published batch, flex and caching discounts. |
| Overall score | 7.2 | 5.3 | 7.4Best | 7.1 |
| Free option | Free trial | Free plan | Free plan | –Not measured |
| Card to start | –Not measured | No card needed | No card needed | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $0.10/1M input tokens | $0.25/1M input tokens | $0.10/1M input tokens | $0.10/1M input tokens |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| How you pay | Prepaid credits by card, expire after 1 year; invoicing through sales | Prepaid credits ($5 minimum), expire after 12 months | Prepaid pay-as-you-go credits, optional auto recharge | Prepaid credits ($5 minimum), expire after 1 year |
| Free option | One-time free credits for new users, amount not stated | Ongoing free tier on select models, no card; limits shown in AI Studio | Free mode, no card; allowance not stated publicly | No free allowance stated |
| Reference scenario (100M in + 20M out tokens/mo) | $20 on claude-haiku-5-5, computed | $55 on gemini-3.1-flash-lite, computed | $12 on ministral-3b-2512, computed | $20 on gpt-6-luna, computed |
| Batch, cache and other discounts | Batch 50% off; cache hits 90% off on Haiku 5.5 | Batch and Flex (preview) 50% off; cached input 90% off | Batch 50% off; cached input 90% off | Batch and Flex 50% off; cached input 90% off |
| Trained on API data | No (Commercial Terms) | Paid: no. Free tier: may be used to improve Google products | Unless you opt out (Free mode and paid) | No, unless you opt in |
| Default retention | Deleted within 30 days | Abuse logs for a "limited period", days not stated | 30 rolling days for abuse monitoring | Abuse logs up to 30 days |
| Zero data retention | By agreement, through sales | Not guaranteed: paid prompts are logged for abuse monitoring (docs point to Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, formerly Vertex AI) | By approval, pay-as-you-go, stateless endpoints only | By approval, through sales |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | Both, listed for the API | Not stated for this API | Both, stated in the help center | Both, covering the API |
| HIPAA BAA | Standard BAA signed in the Console, if eligible | Not stated for this API | Not stated | Standard BAA accepted in the API Platform, if eligible |
| Data regions | US-only inference at 1.1x; otherwise global | No region choice stated | EU and US endpoints at +10% | 10 storage regions by approval; processing in US, EU, UAE |
| Official SDKs | Python, TypeScript, C#, Go, Java, PHP, Ruby | Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Java, C# | Python, TypeScript | Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Java (beta), Go (beta), C#, Ruby |
| Console SSO | Through sales | Not stated (Google account sign-in) | SAML on the Enterprise plan | Custom/Enterprise billing plan |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, the Anthropic API has a complete per-token price list, discounts that combine and strong data terms, with a self-serve HIPAA BAA. Region choice is US only, zero data retention and SSO go through sales, and a few pages disagree on billing details. | From its public pages, the Gemini API pairs an ongoing free tier on current models with a detailed USD price list and published batch, flex and caching discounts. Certifications, zero data retention and data regions sit with Google Cloud's Agent Platform, and a few billing pages disagree. | From its public pages, the Mistral AI API has the lowest reference price in this comparison, EU or US endpoints you can pick yourself and spending caps. Training use is an opt-out, rate limits sit behind sign-in, and ZDR and SSO need approval or the Enterprise plan. | From its public pages, the OpenAI API has a complete per-token price list, published batch, flex and caching discounts, and audit reports that cover the API. Stricter data controls, residency and SSO go through sales, and a few docs pages lag behind the price list. |
Evidence: Anthropic API (Claude): facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Google Gemini API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Mistral AI API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; OpenAI API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Anthropic API (Claude) review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Anthropic API (Claude) when
- You want one-time free credits for new users and an official PHP SDK, at the same $20 scenario price on Claude Haiku 5.5.
- Pick OpenAI API when
- You want data residency outside the US (by approval) or a flex rate at half price on top of the batch discount.
From our Anthropic API (Claude) review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Anthropic API (Claude) when
- You need SOC 2 and ISO 27001 listed for the API, a stated 30-day retention and a HIPAA BAA path.
- Pick Google Gemini API when
- You want an ongoing free tier on current models with no card, and accept that free-tier prompts may be used to improve Google products.
From our Anthropic API (Claude) review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Anthropic API (Claude) when
- You want API data kept out of training by default, published rate limits and a self-serve HIPAA BAA.
- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($12 on Ministral 3 3B), a free mode with no card, and EU or US regional endpoints at +10%.
From our Google Gemini API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Google Gemini API when
- You want an ongoing free tier on current models with no card before you pay anything.
- Pick OpenAI API when
- You need SOC 2 and ISO 27001 reports that name the API, zero data retention by approval, data regions, or a $20 scenario on GPT-6 Luna.
From our Google Gemini API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Google Gemini API when
- You want an ongoing free tier rather than one-time credits, and a flex rate at half price on top of the batch discount.
- Pick Anthropic API (Claude) when
- You need SOC 2, ISO 27001 and a self-serve HIPAA BAA for the API, a stated 30-day retention, or a $20 scenario on Claude Haiku 5.5.
From our Google Gemini API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Google Gemini API when
- You want paid prompts kept out of training by default, the free models named on the pricing page, and SDKs in five languages.
- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want EU or US regional endpoints (+10%), stated SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and a $12 scenario on Ministral 3 3B.
From our Mistral AI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($12 on Ministral 3 3B against $20 on GPT-6 Luna), a free mode with no card, and EU or US endpoints without a sales call.
- Pick OpenAI API when
- You want API data kept out of training by default, published rate limits, official SDKs in six languages and a HIPAA BAA path.
From our Mistral AI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($12 against $55), SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 statements, ZDR by approval and a choice of EU or US processing.
- Pick Google Gemini API when
- You want paid prompts kept out of training by default, a flex rate at 50% off (preview), and official SDKs in five languages.
From our OpenAI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick OpenAI API when
- You want data residency outside the US (by approval), and a flex rate at half price on top of the batch discount.
- Pick Anthropic API (Claude) when
- You want one-time free credits for new users and an official PHP SDK, at the same $20 scenario price on Claude Haiku 5.5.
From our OpenAI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick OpenAI API when
- You need SOC 2 and ISO 27001 reports that name the API, zero data retention by approval, or a data region.
- Pick Google Gemini API when
- You want an ongoing free tier on current models with no card, and accept that free-tier prompts may be used to improve Google products.
From our OpenAI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick OpenAI API when
- You want API data kept out of training by default, published rate limits and a HIPAA BAA path.
- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($12 on Ministral 3 3B), a free mode with no card, and EU or US regional endpoints at +10%.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- Anthropic API (Claude)Claude Haiku 5.5$0.10/1M input tokens$0.50 per 1M output tokens for prompts up to 100,000 tokens; $0.50 / $2.50 for longer prompts; cache hits $0.01
- 1M-token context window, 128K output
- Tool use and structured outputs
- Batch $0.05 / $0.25
- US-only inference at 1.1x
- Google Gemini APIGemini 3.1 Flash-Lite$0.25/1M input tokens$1.50 per 1M output tokens; audio input $0.50; cached input $0.025 plus $1.00 per 1M tokens per hour of storage
- 1,048,576 input and 65,536 output tokens
- Batch and Flex $0.125 / $0.75
- Priority $0.45 / $2.70 (preview)
- Function calling and structured outputs
- Mistral AI APIPro$14.99/moExcluding taxes; one plan across Vibe, Studio and API usage
- $25.5 /mo in API credits
- Chat and email support
- Usage beyond the plan at API rates
- OpenAI APIGPT-6 Luna$0.10/1M input tokens$0.50 per 1M output tokens; cached input $0.01, cache writes $0.125; prompts over 272K input tokens cost 2x input and 1.5x output
- 1,050,000-token context window
- Batch and Flex at 50% of standard rates
- Fast mode at 2x
- EU data residency at +10%
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Anthropic API (Claude) 2026-10-15, Google Gemini API 2026-10-15, Mistral AI API 2026-10-15, OpenAI API 2026-10-15.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- Mistral AI APISelf-serve sign-up, no card needed; the highest score of the 4 self-serve products here (7.4/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- Mistral AI APIFree plan, no card needed, and the highest score of the 2 that skip the card (7.4/10).
- Lowest starter price
- Mistral AI API$0.10/1M input tokens for the Ministral 3 3B plan. Anthropic API (Claude), Google Gemini API and OpenAI API list no comparable paid price.
- Highest overall score
- Mistral AI API7.4/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score