Best AI APIs for Multimodal (Image/Audio)
3 providers compared for multimodal (image/audio). Updated July 10, 2026.
🏆 Top Pick
OpenAI
❌ Proxy required (export control restrictions for China users)
💰 Budget Pick
Baidu ERNIE (文心一言)
ERNIE 4.5 Turbo: $0.003/M tokens, ERNIE 4.0 Turbo: $0.012/M input
🇨🇳 China Pick
Baidu ERNIE (文心一言)
✅ Direct access in China
📊 Multimodal (Image/Audio) — Provider Comparison
| Provider | Input | Output | China Access | Free Tier | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | GPT-4o: $2.50/M, GPT-4o-mini: $0.15/M, o1: $15/M, o3: $10/M | GPT-4o: $10/M, GPT-4o-mini: $0.60/M, o1: $60/M, o3: $40/M | ❌ | #1 | |
| Google Gemini | 2.5 Pro: $1.25-10/M, 2.5 Flash: $0.15-1.25/M, 2.0 Flash: $0.10/M | 2.5 Pro: $5-40/M, 2.5 Flash: $0.30-5/M, 2.0 Flash: $0.40/M | ❌ | #5 | |
| Baidu ERNIE (文心一言) | ERNIE 4.5 Turbo: $0.003/M tokens, ERNIE 4.0 Turbo: $0.012/M | ERNIE 4.5 Turbo: $0.003/M, ERNIE 4.0 Turbo: $0.012/M | ✅ | #8 |
🏆 Best Choice: OpenAI
✨ Pros
- ✓Industry standard: OpenAI API is the benchmark for all compatible APIs
- ✓GPT-4o multimodal (text+image+audio)
- ✓o1/o3 reasoning models with strong complex logic
- ✓Native Function Calling support, best-in-class reliability
- ✓Whisper ASR + TTS integrated
⚠️ Cons
- ×Higher API costs (o1 series $15-60/M)
- ×China requires proxy for access
- ×Frequent output model updates, occasional API compatibility issues
- ×High token consumption, especially o1 series
- ×No special discounts beyond batch credits
🎯 Best for: Production workloads requiring industry benchmark quality; Function Calling/Structured Output; multimodal applications
❓ FAQ
What is the best AI API for multimodal (image/audio)? ▼
OpenAI is our top pick. Ranked #1 overall with GPT-4o: $2.50/M, GPT-4o-mini: $0.15/M, o1: $15/M, o3: $10/M input pricing, ❌ Proxy required (export control restrictions for China users).
Which is the cheapest for multimodal (image/audio)? ▼
Baidu ERNIE (文心一言) offers the lowest prices at ERNIE 4.5 Turbo: $0.003/M tokens, ERNIE 4.0 Turbo: $0.012/M input — ideal for cost-sensitive multimodal (image/audio) projects.
Which providers support China access for multimodal (image/audio)? ▼
Baidu ERNIE (文心一言) are the best options with direct China access.