OpenAI Embeddings vs Vertex AI Embeddings Pricing | Costbench
Compare / OpenAI Embeddings vs Vertex AI Embeddings
Shortlist
Team size
25 seats

OpenAI Embeddings vs Vertex AI Embeddings

Embedding APIs pricing comparison · 2026

OpenAI Embeddings pricing ranges from $0.02–$0.13/per million tokens, while Vertex AI Embeddings ranges from $0.00002–$0.2/listed input unit. These products use different pricing models (Per-seat subscription vs Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute)), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit OpenAI pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Vertex pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Embedding APIs
Side-by-side · live
O
OpenAI Embeddings
OpenAI Embeddings is a pay-per-use API that converts text into dense vector representation
verified 5w ago
View pricing →
V
Vertex AI Embeddings
Vertex AI Embeddings currently publishes four embedding offerings with 17 charged input ra
verified 7w ago
View pricing →
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Usage-based
$0.02 per 1M input tokens
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
Usage-based
$0.00015 per 1,000 input tokens
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 11 sourced facts
7 hidden-cost · 1 contract · 3 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
Sources 19 sourced facts
17 hidden-cost · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Storage Costs for Embeddings
    $0.33 per GB per month
    1 source
  • Inflated Token Counts
    10-25%
    1 source
  • Fine-tuning Premiums
    50%
    1 source
  • Unpredictable Scaling
    $100–$400 per day
    1 source
  • Inefficient Architectures
    1 source
5 documented
  • Idle Endpoints
    $2,642 per month
    1 source
  • Storage Costs
    1 source
  • Data Transfer (Egress) Fees
    1 source
  • Management Fees
    1 source
  • Data Storage
    $700-$800 per month
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

OpenAI
Vertex
Auto-renewal
—
—
Cancellation
Notice of non-renewal or scope reduction must be provided at least 30 days before the start of the next renewal term.
—
Commitment
Enterprise agreements often come with minimum annual spend commitments, such as $250K–$500K for certain discount tiers, or a mandatory annual commitment of 150 seats for ChatGPT Enterprise, setting a floor of approximately $108,000 per year.
no upfront commitment
Price escalation
—
—
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 1 verified source (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
9out of 5 (610)
Trustpilot
1.5out of 5 (1,068)
G2
4.6out of 5 (2,734)
Watch out
Sometimes providing incorrect or outdated information.
TrustRadius
8.6out of 5 (285)
G2
4.3out of 5 (650)
Best for
Token-priced text embedding requests
Watch out
Steep Learning Curve and Complex User Interface
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit OpenAI pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Vertex pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Embedding APIs

OpenAI Embeddings

$0.02–$0.13
/per million tokens
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Embedding APIs

Vertex AI Embeddings

$0.00002–$0.2
/listed input unit
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — OpenAI Embeddings uses Per-seat subscription pricing while Vertex AI Embeddings uses Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute) pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Per-seat subscription

OpenAI Embeddings

$0.02–$0.13 / per million tokens
See full OpenAI Embeddings pricing →
vs
Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute)

Vertex AI Embeddings

From $0.00002 per 1,000 characters
See full Vertex AI Embeddings pricing →

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan OpenAI Embeddings Vertex AI Embeddings
text-embedding-3-small Custom Custom
text-embedding-3-large Custom Custom
text-embedding-ada-002 (Legacy) Custom Custom
multimodalembedding — Custom

What Users Say

OpenAI Embeddings

G2
4.6out of 5 (2,734)
Trustpilot
1.5out of 5 (1,068)
TrustRadius
9out of 10 (610)
Top complaints
  • Sometimes providing incorrect or outdated information.
  • Responses occasionally feeling overly cautious or generic.
  • Limits on deeper customization.

Vertex AI Embeddings

G2
4.3out of 5 (650)
TrustRadius
8.6out of 10 (285)
Top complaints
  • Steep Learning Curve and Complex User Interface
  • Complex and Unpredictable Pricing/High Costs

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

OpenAI Embeddings 7 hidden costs

high
Storage Costs for Embeddings $0.33 per GB per month
medium
Inflated Token Counts 10-25%
high
Fine-tuning Premiums 50%
critical
Unpredictable Scaling $100–$400 per day
high
Inefficient Architectures
See all OpenAI Embeddings hidden costs →

Vertex AI Embeddings 17 hidden costs

critical
Idle Endpoints $2,642 per month
medium
Storage Costs
medium
Data Transfer (Egress) Fees
low
Management Fees
medium
Data Storage $700-$800 per month
See all Vertex AI Embeddings hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term OpenAI Embeddings Vertex AI Embeddings
Auto-renewal — —
Cancellation Notice of non-renewal or scope reduction must be provided at least 30 days before the start of the next renewal term. —
Minimum commitment Enterprise agreements often come with minimum annual spend commitments, such as $250K–$500K for certain discount tiers, or a mandatory annual commitment of 150 seats for ChatGPT Enterprise, setting a floor of approximately $108,000 per year. no upfront commitment

Continue researching

OpenAI Embeddings

Vertex AI Embeddings

Related Comparisons