An append-only record of what models cost, captured every other day. The value is the start
date — this archive only deepens. Track any model below, or watch the floor price of frontier
intelligence over time.
cheapest premier model · output / 1M
$0.28
across 96 first-party-priced models · snapshot
cost of intelligence — cheapest premier output price per capture date (archive begins 2026-06-14)
Anyone can publish today's prices. What compounds is a trustworthy record of how they change —
captured consistently, sourced, and impossible to quietly rewrite. Every run appends a dated
snapshot to an append-only table (additions only, no edits or deletes, enforced in the database),
so the longer this runs the more it's worth. Because the cadence is every other day, the series
is a sequence of capture dates with gaps by design — not a guaranteed row per calendar day.
Why the floor falls
The headline line tracks the cheapest output price among premier models. It rarely moves because
an existing model got cheaper — it moves because a new, capable, cheaper model ships. That's the
real shape of "intelligence per dollar": not gradual discounts, but step-changes as the frontier
widens. Pair it with measured cost-per-task to see whether a cheaper
rate actually means a cheaper job.
Frequently asked questions
How far back does the history go?
The archive is append-only and began on 2026-06-14. It captures a price snapshot every other day, so the series has dated gaps by design — it grows more valuable the longer it runs. Rows can be added but never edited or deleted (enforced at the database level).
What is the 'cost of intelligence' line?
It tracks the cheapest output price among premier (first-party-priced) models on each capture date — a floor for name-brand capability. As cheaper capable models ship, the floor drops; that decline is the story list prices hide.