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Guide / Pricing

Low-cost decentralized AI API pricing explained

Understand Gonka Broker token pricing, successful-request billing, prepaid controls, workload estimates, and fair API comparisons.

Current billing rule: 10 nGONKA for each input or output token, equivalent to 0.01 GNK per one million total billed tokens. There is no monthly subscription. Successful requests are billed against a prepaid balance.

What the published rate covers

Gonka Broker counts the input and output tokens reported for a successful chat-completions request. Both token directions use the same published rate. The total native-token charge is therefore:

(input tokens + output tokens) × 10 nGONKA

The live USD estimate depends on the current GNK quote and can change independently of the native API tariff. Use the pricing page for the current displayed equivalent rather than copying an old dollar value into a budget.

Worked native-token examples

  • 2,000 total tokens: 20,000 nGONKA.
  • 125,000 total tokens: 1,250,000 nGONKA.
  • 1,000,000 total tokens: 10,000,000 nGONKA, or 0.01 GNK.

These examples show the tariff calculation only. They do not predict response quality, latency, retries or the future market value of GNK.

Estimate a workload before launch

  1. Run a small set of representative successful requests.
  2. Record average input and output tokens from the usage data.
  3. Multiply average total tokens by expected successful requests.
  4. Add a documented allowance for longer prompts and successful retries.
  5. Start with a deliberately small prepaid amount and review actual usage.

How prepaid controls help

A prepaid balance limits exposure if a key is misused or an automation loops. It is still important to use dedicated keys, output limits, application-side daily caps and bounded concurrency. Prepaid billing is a control, not a replacement for monitoring.

How to compare AI APIs fairly

  1. Compare the same model or clearly acknowledge model differences.
  2. Use the same prompt set and output limits.
  3. Compare input and output rates, not a single headline number.
  4. Include subscriptions, minimum spend, funding costs and unused-credit rules.
  5. Check whether failed or retried requests create charges.
  6. Verify required features such as streaming and tool use on the customer route.
  7. Record the price source and date because tariffs can change.

What a low rate does not prove

Price alone does not establish model quality, availability, confidentiality or suitability for a specific workload. Run a bounded test with your own prompts and keep a fallback for critical jobs until behavior is proven. Gonka Broker publishes its evidence process in the methodology and machine-readable facts in pricing.json.

Next step: Create an account or read the integration docs.