OpenAI Assistant Pricing
Learn about the cost of using OpenAI Assistants.
Adding an Assistant to your platform with RadGenius relies on the OpenAI API. Here’s a straightforward breakdown of the costs and how they work.
What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface) allows different apps to communicate. Instead of using OpenAI’s website, your Assistant can be accessed directly through RadGenius, embedded anywhere on the web.
GPT vs. Assistant: What’s the Difference?
An OpenAI GPT is created on the ChatGPT website, where you can share a custom GPT link with anyone who has a paid OpenAI subscription.
A RadGenius Assistant works similarly to a GPT but is not available on ChatGPT.com. It can only be accessed through the API, meaning it is integrated into your website or platform via RadGenius.
Is There a Cost to Use an Assistant?
Yes, Assistant owners pay per use to OpenAI. Each user message and every response from the Assistant count toward usage.
RadGenius Assistants use the GPT 4o mini model, which balances power and affordability. Here’s the cost breakdown:
- A simple interaction (1 message, 1 response) costs around $0.000045 USD.
- Longer conversations can cost up to $0.004 (less than half a penny).
For example, one RadGenius user integrated 10 unique Assistants into their online course. Over two weeks, their students started 170 conversations, and the total cost was just $0.62—about one-third of a penny per conversation.
Managing Costs for OpenAI Assistants
While RadGenius Assistants are cost-effective, usage costs can add up based on the amount of input (user messages) and output (assistant responses). Here are some strategies to help you manage costs without sacrificing the quality of support your assistant provides:
Limit Input and Output Length
To reduce costs, you can set limits on the length of both user input and assistant output. Keeping interactions concise helps reduce the total token count (which directly affects pricing). Here’s how you can manage this:
- Limit User Input: Where your Assistants asks for user input, you can ask for specific information instead of open-ended questions that might cause the user to enter a large amount of text.
- Limit Response Size in Assistant Instructions: Include specific instructions when creating your assistant, such as: “Provide concise, to-the-point responses, no longer than necessary to answer the question.”
Instruct the Assistant to Recognize When the Task Is Complete
You can also manage conversation flow by instructing the assistant to recognize when the user’s goal has been achieved, ensuring interactions don’t continue unnecessarily.
- Acknowledge Task Completion: After providing the necessary information or completing the task, the assistant can acknowledge this, saying something like, “It looks like I’ve answered your question.”
- Prompt for Additional Help Thoughtfully: Instead of repeatedly asking if more help is needed, the assistant can provide a single, polite prompt, such as, “Is there anything else I can assist with? If not, feel free to come back anytime.”
This approach keeps the conversation open but signals that the primary goal has been met, encouraging the user to wrap up unless they need further help.
Monitor Usage and Optimize
RadGenius provides analytics that let you track how users interact with your assistant. You can see the length of conversations, common queries, and how much usage costs over time. Use this data to further optimize input/output limits and fine-tune the assistant’s knowledge base to provide efficient, cost-effective responses.
By applying these strategies, you can maintain valuable interactions while keeping your assistant’s usage affordable.
What About File Storage?
RadGenius offers 1 GB free upload storage for your assistant’s knowledge base.
Common file types, like text files, Word documents, and PDFs, typically don’t take up much space. However, converting files to plain text can help save storage space and keep costs down.
In the rare event you need more than 1GB of space, it’s $0.10 per GB per month.
With RadGenius, adding AI Assistants to your platform is affordable, allowing you to provide value without significant costs.
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