OpenAI API Pricing Calculator for an ERP Assistant (OpenAI vs Azure OpenAI vs On-Prem)
API prices are quoted per million tokens, but an ERP assistant is budgeted per user. This calculator converts users, queries and tokens per query into a monthly bill for OpenAI or Azure OpenAI and sets it next to the monthly cost of running a model on your own hardware.
Your numbers
Question plus retrieved ERP rows or document passages plus system prompt.
Type the current list price for your chosen model from the provider's pricing page.
Output tokens usually cost several times more than input tokens.
Set above 0 if your Azure quote, region or provisioned deployment costs more than the direct API; set 0 if list prices match.
GPU server(s) sized for your peak concurrency.
Your results
Prices change often and differ by model, region and contract. Enter current prices from the provider's pricing page; the defaults are placeholders for illustration. The on-prem line is flat because it assumes hardware sized for the load you enter, so check capacity when you raise users.
Monthly cost as active users grow
Sweeps Active users from 5 to 1000, holding your other inputs fixed.
Size a private model for your ERP
Optional: send your usage numbers and we will propose a model and hardware that fit.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the calculator
Start with your real or expected user count and queries per day. The biggest lever is input tokens per query. A question that retrieves ten ERP rows or three document passages sends thousands of tokens each time, even when the answer is short. Type the current input and output prices for the model you are considering, then read the monthly cost, cost per query and the chart.
How API pricing works
OpenAI and Azure OpenAI bill by tokens processed, with separate rates for input and output. A token is roughly three quarters of an English word. Azure OpenAI may also offer provisioned capacity billed by reserved units, which behaves more like a fixed monthly cost than the pay per token option modelled here. Use the Azure price difference field to reflect your own quote.
- Monthly cost = input tokens x input rate + output tokens x output rate
- Retrieval-heavy ERP questions are dominated by input tokens
- Caching, shorter prompts and smaller models can cut cost sharply
- Provisioned or reserved deployments change the shape of the bill
Comparing with on-prem
A private model on your own GPUs has a mostly fixed monthly cost, so it gets cheaper per query as usage grows, while per-token pricing stays linear. The chart shows where the lines cross for your inputs. Cost is not the only factor: ERP data, drawings and customer information may be controlled data that cannot leave your network, which makes on-prem the only option for some workloads. A cloud model is simpler to start with and often wins at low volume.
Common mistakes
People forget that retrieved context counts as input, ignore retries and multi-step agent calls that multiply tokens, and compare a pay-per-token bill with hardware that cannot handle peak concurrency. Budget for evaluation and testing traffic too, which is often more than the first month of real use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the OpenAI API cost?
It depends on the model and is billed per million tokens, with separate prices for input and output. Look up the current rates on the provider's pricing page and enter them in the calculator, because prices change and differ by model.
Is Azure OpenAI pricing the same as the OpenAI API?
List prices for comparable models are often similar, but Azure adds regional pricing, committed or provisioned capacity options and enterprise agreements. Use your actual Azure quote and enter any difference in the Azure price field.
How many tokens does an ERP query use?
A short question may be only a few dozen tokens, but once you add instructions and retrieved ERP data or documents, 2,000 to 8,000 input tokens per query is common. Measure on real queries rather than guessing.
When is on-prem cheaper than the API?
When monthly volume is high enough that the fixed cost of hardware and support is below the pay per token bill, or when data cannot leave your network. Enter your numbers and read the yearly difference and chart.
If you are weighing cloud APIs against a private model for your ERP, we can size the hardware and model for your usage and run the same comparison with your numbers.
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