OpenAI API
GPT-4 and beyond — via API
The OpenAI API gives access to GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, and o-series reasoning models via REST API. Used to build AI-powered features: chatbots, document summarisation, classification, code generation, image analysis, and voice interfaces. The gpt-4o-mini model costs about $0.15/1M input tokens — very affordable for most startups.
Best for
Use when
You want to add AI features to your product: chatbots, summarisation, content generation, or intelligent search.
Skip when
You need local-first or privacy-sensitive AI processing. Consider Mistral API or self-hosted Llama models.
International card required. Access is available in Nigeria, Kenya, and most African countries. Note: deploying to end users in these countries requires setting up API access properly; check OpenAI’s usage policies for your region.
Alternatives
Google Gemini API, Anthropic Claude API, Mistral API