Batch API Pricing: 50% Off Everything
The batch API concept is simple: you trade speed for savings. Instead of getting responses in seconds, you submit a batch of requests and receive results within hours (typically 1-24 hours). Both major providers offer this at a flat 50% discount.
| Model | Standard Pricing | Batch Pricing | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | $2.50 / $10.00 | $1.25 / $5.00 | 50% |
| GPT-4o-mini | $0.15 / $0.60 | $0.075 / $0.30 | 50% |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $1.50 / $7.50 | 50% |
| Claude Haiku 3.5 | $0.80 / $4.00 | $0.40 / $2.00 | 50% |
Prices approximate. Last updated April 2026.
Ideal Batch API Workloads
Batch processing is ideal for any task where results are not needed immediately:
- Content generation: Product descriptions, marketing copy, blog drafts at scale
- Data processing: Categorization, entity extraction, sentiment analysis on large datasets
- Evaluation: Running test suites against LLMs, A/B testing prompt variations
- Training data: Generating synthetic training data, creating labeled datasets
- Bulk analysis: Processing document archives, analyzing customer feedback, summarizing research papers
Implementation Approach
Both OpenAI and Anthropic batch APIs follow a similar pattern:
- Create a JSONL file with your requests (one request per line)
- Upload the file and create a batch job
- Poll for completion (typically 1-24 hours)
- Download results as a JSONL file
The key architectural decision is separating batch-eligible work from real-time work in your application. Many teams find that 30-50% of their total LLM usage can be moved to batch processing with some pipeline restructuring.
Combining Batch with Hybrid Routing
For maximum savings, combine batch processing with hybrid routing. Use batch API for all non-time-sensitive workloads (50% savings), then route your remaining real-time traffic through Token Landing's hybrid routing (40-70% additional savings on that portion).
For a team spending $10,000/month on LLM APIs, a typical optimization:
- Move 40% of traffic to batch: saves $2,000/month
- Route remaining 60% through hybrid routing: saves $2,400-4,200/month
- Total savings: $4,400-6,200/month (44-62% reduction)
This is not theoretical — these are the ranges we see in practice with teams using both strategies together.