LLM inference price decline
Epoch AI's scatter plot drew 407.4K views on X: 6.0x its typical post and #7 of 97 Epoch AI charts we track by views. Read Oct 10, 2026.
How has the cost to use LLMs changed over time? Our analysis shows that the price to reach a given benchmark score has fallen dramatically, between 9x and 900x per year, depending on the benchmark and score. 🧵
Why it spread
This post spread because it paired alarming, concrete numbers with a simple question: the account reported that the price to reach a given benchmark score fell between 9x and 900x per year, and that claim drew 600 likes, 84 reposts, 34 quotes, 262 saves and 407,385 views.
What worked
- The headline number range is huge and easy to repeat, since 9x to 900x per year is a striking contrast that invites discussion.
- The chart is a scatter showing LLM inference prices falling dramatically across performance tiers, which makes a broad trend visible at a glance.
- The post is branded, shows a source line, and comes from an independent author, which supports trust and helps explain the many quotes.
What to borrow
We could take a familiar cost or performance question and frame it as a simple before and after, then show the full spread across tiers rather than a single average, while keeping a visible source line and our own branding.
Careful
Do not copy the exact 9x to 900x range or treat it as a universal law, because it depends on the benchmark and score, and do not over-read the quote rate or saves as proof of agreement.
Written by our analysis model from the measured numbers above, not by Epoch AI.
Make it yours
Your numbers, in this line chart.
Starts from the real numbers of "LLM (USD per million tokens)" by Epoch AI. Replace every number with yours before you post. Make one like this, step by step
Free pictures carry a small "Made with ViralChart" line. That line is how other people find us.
API · Max
Use this chart via API
On the Max plan you can pull this chart's numbers with the provenance of each one, as JSON or CSV, with its redraw spec, or call it from an agent over MCP. Chart id 310d900a3dbb.
Approximate values. Our two readings of this chart agreed only in part (confidence 0.44 of 1), so check the original before you quote a number. The API marks it lowConfidence, and ?min_confidence=0.5 leaves it out.
| Path | Returns | Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/v1/charts/310d900a3dbb | Title, publisher, date, form, point count; with a Max key, the data link | Open |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/310d900a3dbb/data | Every point with its provenance and confidence, plus the redraw spec. Add ?format=csv for CSV | Max |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/310d900a3dbb/render?view=1 | The draw-only view this page uses | Open |
| POST | /mcp | Tool get_chart_data with this id, for Claude, Cursor and other agents | Max |
curl -s https://viral-chart.com/api/v1/charts/310d900a3dbb/data \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"claude mcp add --transport http viralchart https://viral-chart.com/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"60 requests a minute per key; over that you get 429 with Retry-After. Up to 5 keys per account, made on your account page and shown once. Without Max, the data route answers 402 with a link to the plans. The numbers describe a chart its publisher owns, and every file carries a license note.
More from Epoch AI
All 97
Other giants using a scatter plot
All 78
Questions people ask
How far did Epoch AI's "LLM inference price decline" chart travel?
407,385 views, 600 likes, 84 reposts and 262 saves on X, read Oct 10, 2026. A normal post from @EpochAIResearch gets about 68.2K views.
What kind of chart is it?
A scatter plot. LLM inference prices fell dramatically across performance tiers.
Can I use Epoch AI's chart?
Use the format, not the picture. The chart, logo and design belong to Epoch AI. ViralChart redraws the chart type with your numbers and words, and credits the original publisher.