Cheapest LLM API in 2026: compare ₹ pricing

The cheapest LLM API in 2026 is in India

DeepSeek V4 Flash takes the crown at ₹9.07 per 1M input tokens — 50× cheaper than GPT-4o. But the absolute cheapest is Qwen 1.7B at ₹0 (free forever). Via unoblox, you get live ₹ rates, no international card, and a GST invoice — built for Indian teams.

Pricing table: cheapest models (₹/1M tokens)

Model	₹ Input	₹ Output	Best for
Qwen 1.7B (FREE)	₹0	₹0	Experiments, testing
DeepSeek V4 Flash	₹9.07	₹18.14	Budgets, high volume
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash	₹20.16	₹60.48	Balanced, quality
Qwen 235B-A22B	₹9.07	₹55.44	Open-weight, cost
Llama Scout	₹10.08	₹30.24	Speed + economy
Gemma 4 31B	₹13.10	₹38.30	Open-source cheap
Claude Sonnet	₹201.6	₹1008	Professional use
GPT-4o	₹252	₹1008	Premium accuracy

Why DeepSeek is winning

DeepSeek V4 Flash offers superior reasoning at rock-bottom cost. It handles code, logic, and complex queries better than much pricier models. Perfect for startups, bootstrapped teams, and high-volume inference.

The free tier (Qwen 1.7B)

Qwen 1.7B is production-ready: zero cost forever, decent quality for summarization, classification, and light chat**. Monthly cap: ₹250 (freemium tier), lifted once you add billing.

# Python: use the cheapest model
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="ub-gw-...",
    base_url="https://api.unoblox.ai/v1"
)

# Free, fast, and Indian
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="qwen/qwen-1.7b",  # ₹0
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
)

Cost optimization tips

1. Start free — Use Qwen 1.7B to prototype; upgrade only when you exceed the ₹250 cap.
2. Batch processing — Group requests for DeepSeek Flash (better cost per task).
3. Context pruning — Trim old messages; shorter input = lower ₹ bill.
4. Model switching — Test Grok, Llama, or Gemma; prices vary by ₹ 10–50 per 1M tokens.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Is Qwen 1.7B actually production-ready? Yes for PoCs, MVPs, and light tasks. For critical logic, upgrade to DeepSeek Flash or Claude Sonnet.

Q: What's the ₹250 freemium cap? Monthly limit on free-tier requests. It resets each month; add billing to remove it.

Q: Does DeepSeek have usage limits? No per-request cap. You pay ₹ per token; cost scales with usage.

Q: Can I mix cheap and premium models? Yes—same unoblox key works with every model. Route by logic (Qwen for fast, DeepSeek for accuracy).

Q: Will DeepSeek's pricing stay this low? Historically, as models improve and compute becomes cheaper, prices drop. Unoblox passes savings to you in ₹.

Q: Any hidden fees or minimum spend? No minimums. You pay per ₹ token; as little as ₹1–10 per request for Qwen or DeepSeek.

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