---
title: How much does the OpenAI API cost with SmartSearchWP?
description: "This is an FAQ entry for the [WordPress chatGPT SmartSearchWP plugin](https://www.smartsearchwp.com/en/). SmartSearchWP uses **your OpenAI API key**. You are billed directly by OpenAI based on your usage (selected model, length of questions/answers, embedding generation for RAG). **Official pricing:** Visit [openai.com/pricing](https://openai.com/pricing)…"
url: "https://www.smartsearchwp.com/en/docs/how-much-does-the-openai-api-cost-with-smartsearchwp/"
updated: "2026-10-05"
category: General
---

# How much does the OpenAI API cost with SmartSearchWP?

This is an FAQ entry for the [WordPress chatGPT SmartSearchWP plugin](https://www.smartsearchwp.com/en/).

SmartSearchWP uses **your OpenAI API key**. You are billed directly by OpenAI based on your usage (selected model, length of questions/answers, embedding generation for RAG).

**Official pricing:** Visit [openai.com/pricing](https://openai.com/pricing) (GPT models and embeddings). Prices are subject to change—always check the official page.

## Orders of magnitude (approximate)

- **Chat / responses** — typically a few cents to a few euros per hundred conversations, depending on the model (e.g., GPT-4o vs. mini) and the length of the RAG context.
- **Embeddings (RAG indexing)** — a one-time cost incurred when generating or regenerating embeddings (Contexts). A medium-sized website is often modest in scale compared to a continuous chat system.
- **No credits included** —even with the free version of SmartSearchWP, you pay OpenAI on a pay-as-you-go basis.

**Control costs:** The **Usage Control** premium add-on lets you restrict access (quotas, schedules, roles, pages). The **RAG Auto Sync** add-on displays warnings before any automation that uses the API.

See also: [Credits and free version](https://www.smartsearchwp.com/en/docs/does-the-smartsearchwp-chatbot-require-credits-to-operate-or-is-it-free-to-use/).