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Low-cost LLM APIsEdition of 12 Nov 2026
Cheapest LLM APIRuncrate Reference
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Glossary

Input to output mix

Answer in brief

The input to output mix is the number of input tokens a workload uses for each output token.

Input to output mix in practice

It decides which of a model’s two prices matters. An input-heavy mix makes the input price the one to compare, and an output-heavy mix the output price.

Measure it from the token counts in real API responses, one workload at a time.

Questions and answers

Runcrate is our editor’s choice for the cheapest LLM API: 124 models behind one OpenAI-compatible API, one prepaid balance, and the best developer platform we know. Runcrate publishes this site.

The input to output mix is the number of input tokens a workload uses for each output token.

Sources for this entry

  1. Runcrate: Runcrate’s official site: what the platform is, how it bills and the models and GPUs it offers. Read 12 Nov 2026.
  2. Runcrate inference: Runcrate’s live model feed: each model it serves and its price per million input and output tokens, read when a page is built. Read 12 Nov 2026.
  3. Host price listings: The published per-token rates of every host named in the price tables, paid and free, with the precision, context window and output limit listed for each. Read 12 Nov 2026.
  4. Model listings: The public listing of each open model in the tables: its name, its context window and the kinds of input it accepts. Read 12 Nov 2026.

Checklists are original editorial guidance. Published prices do not establish availability.

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Cite this entry

Cheapest LLM API. “Input to output mix.” Content reviewed 12 Nov 2026. https://cheapestllmapi.dev/glossary/input-to-output-mix