Proprietary AI models: API-only, and what that locks you into

Prices from official vendor price lists · October 2026
151 closed-weight models available only through the vendor API — no self-hosting, no infrastructure to run. Output prices run from $0.063 to $180 per 1M tokens across the 117 models with a paid per-token price; 23 have a free tier.
Proprietary API
Services found: 151
#AI modelCapabilitiesAPI $/1M (in / out)Context windowPrice / moOutput $/1MOverviewVisit site
121

GPT-5.4 Image 2

OpenAI
VisionImage generationStructured JSON output
$8 / $15272K tokensAPI only15View
122

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)

Google
VisionImage generationWeb search grounding
$0.3 / $2.532.8K tokensAPI only2.5View
123

Cydonia 24B V4.1

Thedrummer
Text & chatMultilingualProprietary API
$0.3 / $0.5131.1K tokensAPI only0.5View
124

Seed 2.1 Turbo

Bytedance Seed
Text & chatVisionVideo
$0.5 / $2.5262.1K tokensAPI only2.5View
125

Aion-2.0

Aion Labs
Text & chatMultilingualProprietary API
$0.8 / $1.6131.1K tokensAPI only1.6View
126

GPT-5.1-Codex

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionCoding
$1.25 / $10400K tokensAPI only10View
127

Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image)

Google
VisionAdjustable thinkingImage generation
$2 / $12131.1K tokensAPI only12View
128

Hy-MT2-30B-A3B

Tencent
Text & chatMultilingualProprietary API
$0.074 / $0.2958.2K tokensAPI only0.295View
129

Perceptron Mk1

Perceptron
Text & chatVisionVideo
$0.15 / $1.532.8K tokensAPI only1.5View
130

GPT-5.5 Pro

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$30 / $1801.05M tokensAPI only180View
131

Seed 1.6

Bytedance Seed
Text & chatVisionVideo
$0.25 / $2262.1K tokensAPI only2View
132

Sonar Pro Search

Perplexity
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$3 / $15200K tokensAPI only15View
133

Fugu Ultra

Sakana
Text & chatVisionLong context 1M+
$5 / $301M tokensAPI only30View
134

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionCoding
$1.25 / $10400K tokensAPI only10View
135

Seed-2.0-Code

Bytedance Seed
Text & chatVisionVideo
$0.5 / $3262.1K tokensAPI only3View
136

GPT Audio Mini

OpenAI
Text & chatAudioStructured JSON output
$0.6 / $2.4128K tokensAPI only2.4View
137

GPT-5 Image Mini

OpenAI
VisionImage generationStructured JSON output
$2.5 / $2400K tokensAPI only2View
138

GPT-5.4 Pro

OpenAI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$30 / $1801.05M tokensAPI only180View
139

Mistral Large 3

Mistral AI
Text & chatVisionReasoning
$0.5 / $1.5256K tokensAPI only1.5View
140

Qwen3.8 Omni Flash

Qwen
Text & chatVisionAudio
1M tokensAPI onlyView

Browse by need

Reasoning models169 modelsCoding assistants17 modelsVision and images156 modelsLong context 1M+82 modelsFree tier available80 modelsOpen weights88 models

These 151 models are available only through the vendor own API: no weights to download, no self-hosting, no fine-tuning beyond what the vendor exposes. In exchange you get no infrastructure to run and immediate access to whatever ships next.

Prices run from $0.87 to $50 per million output tokens. The frontier tier is entirely proprietary - GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Opus 5 - and that gap is the honest argument for closed models. The arguments against are equally practical: pricing changes without your consent, models get retired on the vendor schedule, and your data leaves your perimeter.

No infrastructureNothing to provision, patch or scale — the vendor absorbs all of it.
The frontier lives hereEvery top-quality model today is closed. There is no open equivalent yet.
Vendor risk is realPrices change, models retire, and your data crosses a boundary.

Models with this capability

The 151 models below all support this capability. Prices are input and output per 1M tokens from the vendor official price list; for dirhams multiply by 3.6725. Tap a card to open the model page.

Claude Fable 5.1
#1
Anthropic
in $10out $501M tokens
GPT-6 Astra
#2
OpenAI
in $10out $501.05M tokens
GPT-6.1 Sol
#3
OpenAI
in $2out $101.05M tokens
GPT-6 Sol
#4
OpenAI
in $2out $101.05M tokens
GPT-6 Luna
#5
OpenAI
in $0.1out $0.51.05M tokens
Claude Opus 5.5
#6
Anthropic
in $4out $201M tokens
Claude Sonnet 5.5
#7
Anthropic
in $2out $101M tokens
Grok 4.7
#8
xAI
in $2out $6500K tokens

How to choose

  • Check the deprecation policy before building on a specific model version.
  • Pin snapshot versions where the vendor offers them, rather than floating aliases.
  • Read the data-retention terms if you handle personal or regulated information.
  • Keep an open-weight fallback identified, even if you never use it.

Common mistakes

Building on a floating aliasA silent model update can change behaviour overnight.
No exit planTeams discover lock-in at the moment prices rise, not before.

Who this suits

Small teamsNo GPU budget, no ops capacity, immediate access to the best models.
EnterprisesCompliance certifications and support contracts that self-hosting cannot match.
PrototypingValidating an idea before committing infrastructure.

Related filters

Open weights88 models you can download and self-host
Frontier tier41 flagship models, the best each vendor sells
Priority tier65 models with a paid fast lane
Prompt caching147 models with cheap repeated context
All 239 modelsThe full rating with filters and prices

Frequently asked questions

Why choose a closed model?

The frontier tier is entirely proprietary. If you need the best available quality, there is no open alternative yet.

What are the risks?

Pricing changes without your consent, models get retired on the vendor schedule, and your data leaves your perimeter.

What is the open alternative?

90 models in this rating publish weights — GLM, Qwen, DeepSeek, Mistral, Gemma and others.

Can I fine-tune a proprietary model?

Sometimes, within the vendor platform. You never receive the weights.

What happens when a model retires?

You migrate. Vendors publish timelines, but the work lands on you.

Frequently searched

By capabilityReasoningCodingVisionLong context 1M+Free tierOpen weightsLow latencyRealtime voiceImage generation
By vendorAnthropic (13)OpenAI (30)Google DeepMind (17)xAI (8)Meta (6)DeepSeek (9)Mistral AI (11)Alibaba (Qwen) (34)Z.ai (12)Moonshot AI (5)
Popular modelsClaude Fable 5.1GPT-6 AstraClaude Opus 5Claude Fable 5GPT-5.6 SolGLM 5.3Grok 4.6Kimi K3GPT-5.6 Terra
By deliveryBatch APIPrompt cachingPriority tierFrontier tierProprietary APITool callingStructured JSONWeb searchMultilingual

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