Estimate Token Usage Before You Run It
Know how many tokens a job will consume before you send it — input plus an assumed response, costed per call and at scale.
Overview
Token usage is input plus output, and output usually costs several times more per token. This loads a longer document with a long assumed response so you can see the full consumption, not just the prompt half. The estimate is a range across the tokenizer's real uncertainty, and the per-1,000-calls line shows where a cheap-looking call turns into a real bill. Usage is a consumption question — distinct from "will it fit", which is the Estimator's job.
Workflow
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Set the response size
Output tokens dominate cost — pick the assumed reply length.
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Read input plus output
The combined line is the real per-call consumption.
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Scale it
Multiply by volume with the per-1,000-calls figure.
Why This Works
- Usage is input + output, and the tool costs both, not just the prompt
- Output tokens are weighted at their real, higher price
- The range keeps the estimate honest instead of falsely exact
Best for
- Planning consumption for a batch job
- Including output cost, not just the prompt
- Estimating before committing to a run
Not for
- Checking if it fits the context window — use the Context Window Estimator
- Trimming the prompt itself — use the Prompt Cleaner
Use cases
- Planning consumption for a batch job
- Including output cost, not just the prompt
- Estimating before committing to a run