This guide helps you select the optimal AI model for website monitoring on PageCrawl.io, covering free options to premium models with cost comparisons based on January 2026 pricing.
⚠️ Pricing updates frequently — verify current rates at: OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, OpenRouter
Why AI Models Matter
AI models enhance website monitoring by automatically summarizing changes, assigning priority scores, and distinguishing meaningful updates from noise.
PageCrawl.io supports four providers:
- OpenAI — GPT-4.1 family, reliable and fast
- Google Gemini — Competitive pricing, good performance
- Anthropic Claude — High accuracy, premium quality
- OpenRouter — Access to 200+ models via single API
Understanding Tokens and Costs
What is a Token?
A token is roughly 4 characters or about ¾ of a word. AI providers charge based on tokens processed:
- "Hello world" = ~3 tokens
- A typical paragraph = ~100 tokens
- A blog post (1,000 words) = ~1,300 tokens
- A full webpage = ~2,000-10,000 tokens
How PageCrawl Uses Tokens
PageCrawl's AI costs are dominated by input tokens (the page content sent to AI). Output tokens are minimal because summaries are typically just 1-2 paragraphs (~100-200 tokens).
Typical token usage per check:
- Simple page (blog post, article): ~1,000-2,000 tokens
- Medium page (product page, news): ~2,000-5,000 tokens
- Large page (documentation, e-commerce): ~5,000-10,000 tokens
- Very large page (full webpage with navigation): ~10,000-25,000 tokens
Example cost calculation (Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite at $0.10/M input):
- 2,000 token page = $0.0002 per check (5,000 checks per dollar)
- 5,000 token page = $0.0005 per check (2,000 checks per dollar)
Since output is just a short summary (~150 tokens), output costs add less than 10% to the total.
Model Pricing Comparison (January 2026)
Prices per million tokens. Most of your cost will be input tokens—output (summaries) is minimal.
Budget-Friendly Models
| Model | Provider | Input | Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | $0.10/M | $0.40/M | High volume, budget option | |
| GPT-4o Mini | OpenAI | $0.15/M | $0.60/M | Budget OpenAI option |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.30/M | $2.50/M | Good balance of cost/quality |
Premium Models
| Model | Provider | Input | Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | $1.00/M | $5.00/M | Quality analysis |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.25/M | $5.00/M | Google's best | |
| GPT-4.1 | OpenAI | $2.00/M | $8.00/M | Complex pages |
| Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Anthropic | $3.00/M | $15.00/M | Premium accuracy |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | Anthropic | $5.00/M | $25.00/M | Maximum capability |
⚠️ Privacy Note: Some providers may use data for training. Review each provider's data usage policy for sensitive content. See Privacy section for details.
Recommended Models by Use Case
PageCrawl.io only calls AI when a page actually changes. If you monitor 1,000 pages and only 150 change, you pay for 150 AI requests—not 1,000.
Best Overall Value: GPT-4o Mini
Pricing: $0.15/$0.60 per million tokens (input/output) Recommended For: Most users
GPT-4o Mini offers the best balance of cost and performance. It's reliable, fast, and very affordable.
Cheapest Option: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Pricing: $0.10/$0.40 per million tokens Recommended For: High-volume, cost-sensitive monitoring
Note: Google Gemini's free tier was reduced significantly in 2026 (from 250-1000 requests/day to only 5-20 requests/day). For practical use, billing is recommended.
Best for Critical Documents: GPT-4.1 or Claude Sonnet 4.5
GPT-4.1: $2.00/$8.00 per million tokens Claude Sonnet 4.5: $3.00/$15.00 per million tokens Recommended For: Legal documents, terms of service, compliance monitoring, and other critical content where accuracy matters most
Best Models by Content Type
| Content Type | Budget Option | Recommended | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blogs, News, Docs | Gemini Flash-Lite | GPT-4o Mini | — |
| E-commerce, Pricing | Gemini Flash-Lite | GPT-4o Mini | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| Legal, ToS, Compliance | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 |
| Competitor Monitoring | Gemini Flash-Lite | GPT-4o Mini | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| API Docs, Changelogs | Gemini Flash-Lite | GPT-4o Mini | — |
Real-World Cost Examples
⚠️ Costs can vary significantly — these are estimates only. Your actual costs depend on:
- Page complexity and content length
- How often pages change
- Deep Analysis setting (on = full page, off = changes only)
- Max token settings
Token usage by page type:
- Simple pages (blogs, docs): ~500 tokens
- Average pages: ~2,000 tokens
- Content-heavy pages: ~5,000-10,000 tokens
- Complex pages (e-commerce, SPAs): 10,000-25,000+ tokens
Recommendation: Start with budget-friendly models like Gemini Flash-Lite and set strict monthly limits to avoid unexpected bills.
Cost per 1,000 AI Requests (by token usage)
| Model | ~500 tok | ~2K tok | ~5K tok | ~10K tok |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini Flash-Lite | $0.05 | $0.21 | $0.53 | $1.06 |
| GPT-4o Mini | $0.08 | $0.32 | $0.80 | $1.59 |
| Gemini Flash | $0.15 | $0.62 | $1.55 | $3.10 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | $0.50 | $2.00 | $5.00 | $10.00 |
| Gemini Pro | $0.63 | $2.50 | $6.25 | $12.50 |
Example: 500 Pages @ 15% Change Rate = 2,250 requests/month
| Model | Light (~500) | Average (~2K) | Heavy (~5K) | Very Heavy (~10K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini Flash-Lite | $0.12 | $0.47 | $1.19 | $2.39 |
| GPT-4o Mini | $0.18 | $0.72 | $1.80 | $3.58 |
| Gemini Flash | $0.34 | $1.40 | $3.49 | $6.98 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | $1.13 | $4.50 | $11.25 | $22.50 |
Controlling Token Usage
You can reduce token usage in PageCrawl.io settings:
- Deep Analysis off: Only send changed text to AI (lower tokens, less context)
- Deep Analysis on: Send entire page for better understanding (higher tokens)
- Max tokens limit: Default 15K tokens per request (falls back to diff if exceeded)
- Monthly request limits: Set max AI requests per month to cap costs
Tip: Check your actual token usage in PageCrawl.io's AI statistics to estimate your costs accurately.
OpenRouter: Access 200+ Models
OpenRouter provides unified access to AI models from multiple providers through a single API key.
Benefits: Unified billing, automatic fallbacks, access to free models (Llama, Mistral, Qwen)
Pricing: 5.5% platform fee on top of base model costs
Best for: Experimenting with multiple models, accessing free community models
Recommended models: openai/gpt-4o-mini, anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5, google/gemini-2.5-flash
How to Set Up AI Models in PageCrawl.io
Step 1: Get Your API Key
| Provider | Get Key At |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | platform.openai.com → API Keys |
| Google Gemini | ai.google.dev → Get API Key |
| Anthropic | console.anthropic.com → API Keys |
| OpenRouter | openrouter.ai → Settings → API Key |
Step 2: Configure in PageCrawl.io
- Go to Settings → Integrations → AI
- Paste your API key
- Select model tier:
- Save Money: Gemini Flash-Lite ($0.10/M), GPT-4o Mini ($0.15/M)
- Recommended: GPT-4o Mini, Claude Haiku 4.5
- Best Quality: GPT-4.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Gemini Pro
- Test connection and save
Step 3: Optimize with Model Overrides
You can customize AI models at three levels:
- Workspace default — applies to all pages
- Template override — applies to pages using that template
- Page override — applies to individual pages
Example strategy:
- Workspace default: Gemini Flash-Lite (cheapest at $0.10/M)
- E-commerce template: GPT-4o Mini (best value at $0.15/M)
- Legal template: Claude Haiku 4.5 (high accuracy)
- Critical page: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (premium)
Tips for Optimizing Costs
- Start with budget models — Gemini Flash-Lite offers the lowest per-token pricing at $0.10/M input
- Use templates — group similar pages with the same model
- Check frequency doesn't affect AI costs — AI only runs when changes occur
- Monitor usage — most users see only 10-50 AI requests/day
Privacy and Data Security Considerations
| Provider | Data Usage | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI/Anthropic | API data not used for training | Confidential content, legal docs |
| Google Gemini | Review Google's data policies | General monitoring |
| OpenRouter | Varies by underlying model | Check each model's policy |
Data protection policies: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google
For sensitive monitoring, paid tiers cost ~$2-12/month for 500 pages depending on model choice.
FAQ
Can I switch models after starting? Yes, changes apply immediately to new checks. Historical data remains intact.
Do I pay for checks that don't find changes? No. AI only runs when pages actually change.
Can I use different models for different pages? Yes, via workspace defaults, template overrides, and page-level overrides.
Related Articles
- AI-Powered Change Detection and Smart Filtering — Learn how AI summarization and Important Only filtering work
- AI Integration Setup Guide (BYOK) — Step-by-step guide to configure your API keys