Cheapest LLM API in 2026: compare ₹ pricing

The cheapest LLM API in 2026 is in India

The cheapest paid model on unoblox today is gpt-oss 20B at ₹3.03 per 1M input tokens, and DeepSeek V4 Flash (₹9.11) is about 28× cheaper than GPT-4o on input. Cheaper still: Qwen3.8-27B and Gemma 4 26B A4B are free (₹0). 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
Qwen3.8-27B (FREE)	₹0	₹0	Experiments, testing
gpt-oss 20B	₹3.03	₹14.17	Cheapest paid model
DeepSeek V4 Flash	₹9.11	₹18.21	Budgets, high volume
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash	₹14.17	₹42.51	Balanced, quality
Qwen 235B-A22B	₹9.11	₹55.67	Open-weight, cost
Llama Scout	₹10.12	₹30.36	Speed + economy
Gemma 4 31B	₹20.24	₹40.48	Open-source cheap
Claude Sonnet	₹202.46	₹1,012.28	Professional use
GPT-4o	₹253.07	₹1,012.28	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 (Qwen3.8-27B)

Qwen3.8-27B is production-ready: zero cost forever, decent quality for summarization, classification, and light chat**. There is no monthly cap; free models carry a fair-use limit of 10 requests per minute per workspace.

# 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/qwen3.8-27b",  # ₹0
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
)

Cost optimization tips

1. Start free — Use Qwen3.8-27B to prototype; upgrade when you need more quality or more than the 10-requests-per-minute fair-use limit.
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 Qwen3.8-27B actually production-ready? Yes for PoCs, MVPs, and light tasks. For critical logic, upgrade to DeepSeek Flash or Claude Sonnet.

Q: Is there a cap on the free models? There is no monthly cap. Free (₹0) models are free for everyone; freemium calls have a fair-use limit of 10 requests per minute per workspace (see /docs/freemium).

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 a few paise per request on DeepSeek V4 Flash, and nothing on the free Qwen models.

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