AI Subscription vs API Cost Calculator
Compare ChatGPT Codex subscription plans with direct API usage, estimate cost per 1M tokens and break-even usage, then model relay revenue, cost, profit, and gross margin.
Editable usage, rate, and operating assumptions
Scenario totals and unit economics
Compare Plus and Pro Codex economics
AI Subscription vs API Cost Calculator
Compare subscription and direct API costs, then calculate relay revenue, cost, and gross profit in RMB.
Relay pricing inputs
Revenue per 1M = blended API rate x billing multiplier x RMB charged per $1 credit.
Relay pricing profit
Calculated in RMB from the selected workload rate, billing multiplier, credit exchange price, and actual delivery cost.
Gross profit excludes payment fees, servers, refunds, bad debt, tax, and other operating costs.
Plan comparison at the selected workload rate
| Plan | Monthly | API-equivalent / month | Estimated tokens | Subscription / 1M | Value multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plusinferred | $20.00 | $338 | 351.9M | $0.06 | 16.9x |
| Pro 5xinferred | $100 | $1,689 | 1.8B | $0.06 | 16.9x |
| Pro 20xmeasured | $200 | $6,756 | 7B | $0.03 | 33.8x |
Quota inputs reference CodexRadar's July 9, 2026 calibration: Pro 20x is measured; Pro 5x and Plus are inferred. The displayed 7-day value is estimated as six 5-hour windows.
These are workload-dependent estimates, not guaranteed plan quotas. Use for legitimate seat procurement only; do not share accounts, resell credentials, or proxy subscription access.
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers for applying this calculator to a production API billing or usage plan.
Does a ChatGPT subscription include a fixed number of tokens?
No. Codex limits vary with the plan, model, task size, execution location, system conditions, and product rules. This calculator converts a third-party API-equivalent quota estimate into tokens for comparison; it does not represent a guaranteed token allowance from OpenAI.
How is subscription cost per million tokens calculated?
First divide the estimated monthly API-equivalent value by the selected workload's blended API cost per million tokens. That estimates equivalent monthly token capacity. Then divide the monthly subscription price by that capacity in millions of tokens.
Why does the blended API cost per million tokens look low?
The CodexRadar benchmark workload reported a high cache hit rate, so its total-token blended cost is much lower than uncached output-token list prices. Change the editable blended rate to match your own input, cached input, output, and reasoning mix.
How is relay profit per million tokens calculated?
Multiply the blended API rate by the billing multiplier and the RMB charged per $1 of credit to get revenue per million tokens. Subtract the actual RMB delivery cost; divide the result by revenue to get gross margin.
Can subscription seats be shared or resold?
This calculator is for legitimate individual or team procurement planning. It does not authorize account sharing, credential resale, pooled consumer accounts, or proxy access. Always follow the provider's current plan terms.
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