Fine-Tune vs Prompt Engineering Calculator
Find the break-even point between fine-tuning and few-shot prompts.
Results update automatically as you type.
- Few-shot tokens / request
- 1,500 tokens
- Added cost / request
- $0.000225
- One-time fine-tune cost
- $50.00
- Break-even volume
- 222,222 req
- Few-shot cost / month
- $45.00
Few-shot examples add tokens to every request forever; fine-tuning is a one-time cost that removes them. See how many requests it takes for fine-tuning to pay for itself.
How this is calculated
This calculator uses the api cost formulas described in our methodology. All figures are estimates for planning; verify current pricing with each provider before relying on them.
Worked example (defaults)
With the default inputs above, here is the result:
- Few-shot tokens / request
- 1,500 tokens
- Added cost / request
- $0.000225
- One-time fine-tune cost
- $50.00
- Break-even volume
- 222,222 req
- Few-shot cost / month
- $45.00
Frequently asked questions
When is fine-tuning worth it?+
When you send the same examples on high request volume. Above the break-even volume, removing those tokens saves more than the training cost.
Are there non-cost reasons to choose one?+
Yes — prompting is faster to iterate; fine-tuning can improve reliability and latency but is less flexible.