GPT-4o vs Claude 3.5 vs Gemini 1.5: A Practical Cost Comparison for 2026

No single model wins every use case. The best option depends on task complexity and acceptable error rates.

For summarization and extraction, mid-tier models often provide the strongest value per dollar.

For reasoning-heavy workflows, premium models can still be cheaper overall when they reduce retries.

Track effective cost per successful response, not just cost per token.