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Quick Answer

Recommended Setting: When creating a token, choose “Pay-per-Use Priority” billing mode, which suits most scenarios.
Although the system provides 5 billing types, using “Pay-per-Use Priority” by default covers all model calling needs. Token Billing Mode Selection

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5 Billing Modes Explained

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1. Pay-per-Use (Token-based)

Definition: Charges based on the number of Tokens for input and output, pay for what you use. Applicable Models:
  • Text Generation Models: GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, etc.
  • Multimodal Understanding Models: Models supporting image/audio input
  • Special Image Models: gpt-image-1 (charged by Tokens)
Billing Formula: 
Total Cost = (Input Tokens × Input Price) + (Output Tokens × Output Price)
Examples:
  • gpt-4o: Input $5/million tokens, Output $15/million tokens
  • claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022: Input $3/million tokens, Output $15/million tokens
gpt-image-1 Special Note: Although it’s an image generation model, it charges by Tokens. Factors affecting Tokens include:
  • Image resolution (1024x1024, 1792x1024, etc.)
  • Image quality (standard, hd)
OpenAI provides a detailed billing table with different Token consumption for different resolutions and qualities.

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2. Pay-per-Call

Definition: Fixed charge per call, unaffected by input and output Tokens. Applicable Models:
  • Image Generation Models: DALL-E, Flux, Sora Image, etc. (except gpt-image-1)
  • Video Generation Models: Sora Video, VEO, etc.
Billing Formula: 
Total Cost = Number of Calls × Price per Call
Examples:
  • gemini-3-pro-image-preview (alias nano-banana-pro): $0.05/call
  • sora_video2: $0.15/call (10-second video)
  • flux-1.1-pro: $0.04/call
Advantages of Pay-per-Call:
  • Transparent pricing, fixed cost per generation
  • No need to calculate Token consumption
  • Suitable for fixed output scenarios like images/videos

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3. Hybrid Billing

Definition: Supports both pay-per-use and pay-per-call billing, automatically selected based on the model. Status: ⚠️ Not Applicable
Currently, API.YI platform does not recommend using “Hybrid Billing” mode, as it may cause billing confusion. Use “Pay-per-Use Priority” instead.
Definition: Smart billing mode that prioritizes pay-per-use billing when a model supports both; automatically switches to pay-per-call if the model only supports that. Why Recommended?
  • ✅ Includes Pay-per-Call: Can call image/video models charged per call
  • ✅ Includes Pay-per-Use: Can call text/multimodal models charged per use
  • ✅ Auto-Adapts: System automatically selects the most appropriate billing method
  • ✅ Covers All Scenarios: All 200+ models supported
Billing Logic: 
If model supports pay-per-use → Use pay-per-use billing
If model only supports pay-per-call → Use pay-per-call billing
Example Scenarios:
ModelBilling MethodDescription
gpt-4oPay-per-UseText model, prioritize pay-per-use
gpt-image-1Pay-per-UseImage model but charged by Tokens
gemini-3-pro-image-previewPay-per-CallImage model, auto-switch to pay-per-call
sora_video2Pay-per-CallVideo model, auto-switch to pay-per-call
Recommendation Reason: Using “Pay-per-Use Priority” token allows calling all models without creating different tokens for different billing modes.

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5. Pay-per-Call Priority

Definition: Prioritizes pay-per-call billing when a model supports both; automatically switches to pay-per-use if the model only supports that. Applicable Scenarios:
  • Scenarios requiring fixed costs
  • Mainly using image/video generation models
Billing Logic: 
If model supports pay-per-call → Use pay-per-call billing
If model only supports pay-per-use → Use pay-per-use billing
Usage Suggestion: Unless there’s a clear cost control requirement, use “Pay-per-Use Priority” as text models are usually more cost-effective with pay-per-use billing.

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How to Choose Billing Mode?

Pay-per-Use Priority (Default Recommended)

Applicable Scenarios:
  • Using text, image, and video models simultaneously
  • Don’t want to create different tokens for different models
  • Need maximum flexibility
Advantages:
  • Covers all 200+ models
  • System automatically selects optimal billing method
  • No additional configuration needed

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Special Scenarios

Scenario: Only using GPT, Claude, Gemini and other text modelsRecommended Billing Mode: Pay-per-Use Priority or Pay-per-UseReason: Text models all use pay-per-use billing, both modes have the same effect

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FAQ

gpt-image-1 is OpenAI’s official image generation model. Although it generates images, its billing method is similar to text models, charged by Tokens.Billing Factors:
  • Image resolution (1024x1024 consumes ~5000 tokens, 1792x1024 consumes ~8500 tokens)
  • Image quality (HD quality increases Token consumption)
Solution:
  • Use “Pay-per-Use Priority” or “Pay-per-Use” token
  • Using “Pay-per-Call” token will prevent calling gpt-image-1
Yes, you can modify it. Steps:
  1. Log in to API.YI Token Management Page
  2. Find the corresponding token, click the “Edit” button on the right
  3. Select “Pay-per-Use Priority” in the “Billing Mode” dropdown menu
  4. Save configuration
Note: Changes take effect immediately without affecting existing balance.
Different priorities:
Billing ModeWhen model supports both pay-per-use and pay-per-callApplicable Scenarios
Pay-per-Use PriorityPrioritize pay-per-use billingMainly text models, occasionally images/videos
Pay-per-Call PriorityPrioritize pay-per-call billingMainly images/videos, occasionally text models
Recommendation: Use “Pay-per-Use Priority” in most cases.
Won’t fail immediately, but may not be able to call certain models.Example Scenarios:
  • If token is “Pay-per-Call”, calling gpt-4o will fail (because gpt-4o only supports pay-per-use billing)
  • If token is “Pay-per-Use”, calling gemini-3-pro-image-preview may fail (because this model only supports pay-per-call billing)
Solution: Use “Pay-per-Use Priority” to avoid this issue.
Hybrid billing theoretically supports both pay-per-use and pay-per-call, but in practice may cause:
  • Unclear billing logic
  • Difficult cost prediction
  • System compatibility issues
Alternative: Use “Pay-per-Use Priority” to achieve the same effect with better stability and reliability.

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Summary Recommendations

Billing ModeRecommendationApplicable ScenariosModel Coverage
Pay-per-Use Priority⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐All scenarios (default recommended)All 200+ models
Pay-per-Use⭐⭐⭐Pure text/multimodal applicationsText models + gpt-image-1
Pay-per-Call⭐⭐⭐Pure image/video applicationsImage/video models (except gpt-image-1)
Pay-per-Call Priority⭐⭐Mainly using images/videosAll 200+ models
Hybrid Billing❌Not recommendedMay cause billing confusion
Best Practice: When creating a token, choose “Pay-per-Use Priority” billing mode to cover all usage scenarios without creating different tokens for different models.