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AI Token Counter & Cost Estimator
Paste text to estimate its tokens, see how much of a model's context window it uses, and calculate API cost. New to tokens? Read what a context window is.
Cost estimate
Estimated cost: $0.0000
Example prices only. Enter your provider's current prices from its official pricing page.
What is a token?
AI language models don't read words; they read tokens, small chunks of text that are often a whole short word, part of a longer word, or a punctuation mark. Providers count tokens to set limits on how much text a model can handle at once (its context window) and to bill you for API use.
How this counter estimates tokens
The tool blends two common rules of thumb for English: about four characters per token, and about 1.33 tokens per word. It then adjusts upward for text that tokenizes less efficiently, such as code, long numbers and non-Latin scripts. The result is an estimate, typically close for ordinary English prose. Exact counts vary by model.
Using the cost estimate
API prices are usually quoted per million tokens, with output tokens costing more than input. Enter the prices from your provider, an expected reply length and how many times you'll run the request. This is handy for comparing models before you build something; our open-weight vs closed models guide covers the bigger picture.
Frequently asked questions
How many tokens is a word?
For English text, one token is roughly three quarters of a word, so 100 words is about 130–135 tokens and 1,000 tokens is about 750 words. Code, numbers, unusual words and non-English languages such as Urdu or Hindi usually use more tokens per word.
Is this token count exact?
No. Every model family uses its own tokenizer, so exact counts differ slightly between ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and others. This tool gives a fast estimate that is close enough for checking context limits and budgeting. For an exact count, use the official tokenizer or the usage figures your API returns.
How do I estimate API cost?
Find the price per million input and output tokens on your provider's pricing page, enter them, and set how long you expect the reply to be. The tool multiplies your token estimate by those prices. Prices change often, so always check the provider's current page.