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Cheapest LLMs: Top Options for Developers

Discover the most cost-effective LLMs for developers, with prices as low as $0.001 per 1M tokens. Budget-friendly without compromising performance.

June 18, 2026 · 2 min read · By MyTokenTracker

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For developers seeking cost-effective language models, fireworks_ai's flux-1-dev-controlnet-union stands out at just $0.001 per 1M tokens. Other competitive options also offer low costs without skimping on capabilities.

fireworks_ai/accounts/fireworks/models/flux-1-dev-controlnet-union$0.001
fireworks-ai-embedding-up-to-150m$0.006
fireworks-ai-embedding-150m-to-350m$0.012
nscale/Qwen/Qwen2.5-Coder-3B-Instruct$0.015
nscale/Qwen/Qwen2.5-Coder-7B-Instruct$0.015
nebius/Qwen/Qwen2.5-Coder-7B$0.015
vercel_ai_gateway/amazon/titan-embed-text-v2$0.015
lambda_ai/llama3.2-11b-vision-instruct$0.018
Cheapest text models by blended $/1M tokens (lower is cheaper).

The fireworks_ai/accounts/fireworks/models/flux-1-dev-controlnet-union model leads the pack with an unmatched price of $0.001 per 1M tokens. This makes it an exceptional choice for developers working with tight budgets or large-scale token processing needs. Such a low cost allows for significant savings, especially when dealing with high-volume data.

Following closely, fireworks-ai-embedding models priced at $0.006 and $0.012 per 1M tokens provide tiered solutions based on model size, catering to different processing requirements. This pricing flexibility is advantageous for developers who require scalable solutions as their projects evolve.

Models like nscale/Qwen and vercel_ai_gateway/amazon offer a consistent rate of $0.015 per 1M tokens. While slightly higher, these models are still competitively priced and may offer additional features or performance benefits that justify the cost for certain applications.

Finally, lambda_ai's llama3.2-11b-vision-instruct, priced at $0.018 per 1M tokens, rounds out the list. Although it is the most expensive among the options provided, it may offer specialized capabilities that suit particular use cases, justifying its price.

  • fireworks_ai offers the most affordable option at $0.001 per 1M tokens, ideal for budget-conscious projects.
  • For scalable embedding solutions, consider fireworks-ai-embedding models at $0.006 and $0.012 per 1M tokens.
  • nscale/Qwen and vercel_ai_gateway/amazon models provide balanced cost-performance at $0.015 per 1M tokens.
  • Consider lambda_ai for specialized needs despite its higher price of $0.018 per 1M tokens.

About this data. Figures are from MyTokenTracker live data (model prices, value for money, open data API), free to use and cite under CC BY 4.0. Snapshot: June 18, 2026.