Sources Policy

Every factual pricing value used in Tokencost's research tables is stored in the centralized pricing data file with a source URL and last verified date.

How sources are used

Tokencost prefers official provider sources, but also checks the open-source llm-prices dataset for broad model coverage and new model discovery. Community data is useful for catching releases quickly, while official pages remain the safest source for procurement. The public table keeps currency visible so users do not accidentally compare USD and CNY rows as if they were the same unit.

When the source is unclear, the calculator should still be usable through manual inputs. This is especially important for creator platforms and China-focused tools, where public credit packages, subscriptions and regional offers change often. The goal is to help users create a defensible estimate without pretending uncertain pricing is verified fact.

Corrections

Send corrections to hello@tokencost.live with the provider name, model or product, source URL, published currency and the date you checked it.

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Why this sources page exists

Tokencost is built for people who need to make a practical money decision before they have perfect data. A developer might be deciding whether a chatbot can fit inside a $19/month subscription. A creator might be checking whether a short-video workflow can survive the cost of regenerated clips, voiceovers and music. A small SaaS team might need to know whether an AI feature should be free, metered, routed to a cheaper model or limited behind a paid plan.

Those decisions are difficult because AI pricing is fragmented. LLMs bill input, output and sometimes cached input. Video and music tools may use subscriptions, credits, region-specific plans or private enterprise rates. Voice tools may charge by characters, minutes or seats. Some providers publish clear API rates while others hide the practical unit cost behind plan limits. Tokencost keeps calculators flexible by allowing manual input when verified pricing is not available.

What makes a useful estimate

A useful estimate includes the whole workflow. For LLM products, that means request count, prompt size, output size, retries, cache ratio, hidden reasoning or agent loops and monthly active use. For creator workflows, it means finished output, rejected attempts, editing tools, revenue assumptions and break-even views. For SaaS businesses, it means revenue, payment fees, infrastructure, marketing, team cost and churn. A single provider price rarely answers the real business question.

How to read Tokencost pages

Use every result as a planning range. The calculators show how cost moves when assumptions change, while the research pages explain why those assumptions matter. The sources and methodology pages show where factual pricing came from and where users should verify. If a provider publishes a newer source, the site can be corrected through the contact email. This structure is intentionally conservative because publishing a transparent caveat is more valuable than showing a precise-looking but unverifiable number.

Editorial promise

Tokencost avoids copyrighted logos, keeps ads separate from calculator logic, removes thin duplicate pages from the sitemap and keeps legal/trust pages accessible without login. The goal is to be a durable reference for AI pricing, token cost calculation, creator cost planning and AI SaaS economics, not a temporary collection of search-keyword pages.

Related calculators and research

• AI Agent Workflow & Smart Cost Simulator
• AI SaaS Profit Calculator
• Creator Profit Calculator
• LLM API Cost Guide
• Realistic Model Cost Comparison