Cheapest AI API in India (2026)

Cheapest AI API in India — free and ultra-low-cost models

Building on a budget? unoblox routes India's cheapest LLMs in rupees. Free options (Qwen3 1.7B, ₹0), ultra-low-cost models (Qwen 235B, ₹9.07/M input; Llama Scout, ₹10.08/M), and a transparent pricing table so you pick the right model for your spend.

The cost ladder (lowest to highest)

Model	Input (₹)	Output (₹)	Use case	Speed
Qwen3 1.7B	₹0	₹0	Testing, prototyping	~100ms
Qwen3 235B	₹9.07	₹55.44	Budget production, classification	~200ms
Llama Scout	₹10.08	₹30.24	High-volume structured tasks	<200ms
Claude Sonnet	₹201.6	₹1,008	Quality-critical, reasoning	~400ms
GPT-4o	₹252	₹1,008	Multimodal, complex prompts	~500ms

Monthly budget scenarios

Small startup: 2M input / 500K output

• Free tier (Qwen3 1.7B): ₹0 / month ✓
• Llama Scout: ₹35.28 / month
• Qwen3 235B: ₹45.86 / month

Mid-scale SaaS: 50M input / 20M output

• Llama Scout: ₹1,108.80 / month ✓
• Qwen3 235B: ₹1,562.30 / month
• Claude Sonnet: ₹30,240 / month

High-volume platform: 500M input / 200M output

• Llama Scout: ₹11,088 / month ✓
• Qwen3 235B: ₹15,623 / month
• Claude Sonnet: ₹302,400 / month

Free tier: Qwen3 1.7B

Completely free, no payment required, monthly ₹0 invoice. Perfect for:

• Prototyping new features.
• Load testing your integration.
• Low-traffic production (chatbots, classification under 1M/month).

Quality trails Claude Sonnet on nuanced reasoning and long documents — expected, given the size difference. But for straightforward Q&A or simple categorization, Qwen3 1.7B often performs close enough to paid alternatives that the gap isn't worth paying for.

When to pick cheap over quality

Use Qwen3 235B or Llama Scout if:

• High token volume (>10M/month) — cost-per-token dominates ROI.
• Task is deterministic (classification, extraction) — output quality caps out quickly.
• You're willing to optimize prompts — cheaper models need tighter instructions.

Upgrade to Claude or GPT if:

• Low token volume (<5M/month) — model quality > cost savings.
• Task requires deep reasoning (research, planning, debugging).
• Error cost is high (legal review, financial decisions).

API call example

curl https://api.unoblox.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ub-gw-YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "qwen/qwen-3-1.7b-instruct", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Summarize this"}]}'

Frequently asked questions

Is the free Qwen3 1.7B suitable for production? Yes, for low-traffic or simple tasks. If you're handling millions of requests, it's excellent. For novel reasoning or edge cases, upgrade to Llama Scout.

What's the catch with ₹9.07/M pricing? No catch. unoblox negotiates directly with Qwen; this is the real wholesale cost.

Can I switch models per request? Yes. One API key, point model to any model ID. Useful for cost optimization — start cheap, upgrade on errors.

Do cheaper models have lower latency? Generally yes. Smaller models are faster. Qwen3 1.7B ~100ms, Qwen3 235B ~200ms, Claude ~400ms.

How do I know which model is best for my task? Try the free tier first. If output quality is acceptable, stay there. If not, upgrade to Qwen3 235B, then Llama Scout. Most teams never reach Claude/GPT.

Is there a commitment or minimum spend? No. Pay per token, monthly invoice. Cancel anytime.

Get started in rupees → https://unoblox.ai/sign-in