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How to Count Tokens for LLM APIs - Step by Step Guide

Step 1

Select Your LLM Model

Choose the LLM model you're working with. Different models use different tokenizers and have different context limits:

GPT-4 / GPT-3.5: Most popular OpenAI models with 8K-128K token limits
Claude 3 (Opus/Sonnet/Haiku): Anthropic's models with up to 200K context window
Gemini Pro: Google's multimodal AI with 32K-1M token support
Llama 2/3: Open-source models from Meta with 4K-8K context

Example: Choosing the Right Model

If you're using the OpenAI API:

Model: gpt-4-turbo-preview Context Window: 128,000 tokens Tokenizer: cl100k_base (GPT-4)
Step 2

Input Your Text or Prompt

Paste your prompt, message, or any text you want to tokenize. The counter works with:

Plain text: Natural language prompts and messages
Code snippets: Programming code in any language
JSON data: Structured data for API calls (try our JSON to TOON for 50% fewer tokens!)
Conversation history: Multi-turn chat messages

Example: Sample Prompt Text

Here's a typical prompt you might count tokens for:

You are a helpful AI assistant specialized in data analysis. Analyze the following sales data and provide insights about trends, outliers, and recommendations for the next quarter. Data: [sales figures, dates, regions...]

Token count will be calculated instantly as you type!

Step 3

View Token Count & Statistics

Get instant, accurate token counts and helpful statistics:

Total token count: Exact number of tokens for your selected model
Character count: Total characters and words in your text
Context usage: Percentage of model's context window used
Cost estimate: Approximate API cost based on current pricing
Step 4

Optimize Your Prompt (Optional)

Use the insights to optimize your prompts and reduce API costs:

Shorten prompts: Remove unnecessary words while keeping meaning
Use TOON format: Convert JSON to TOON for 50% token reduction
Test variations: Compare different prompt phrasings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a token in GPT/LLM context?

A token is a unit of text that AI models process. In English, one token is roughly 4 characters or 0.75 words. For example, "Hello, world!" is typically 4 tokens. Different models use different tokenizers, so the same text may have different token counts across GPT-4, Claude, and other models.

Why do I need to count tokens before API calls?

LLM APIs like OpenAI and Anthropic charge based on tokens, not characters. Counting tokens helps you estimate costs, ensure your prompts fit within context limits (e.g., GPT-4's 8K-128K window), and optimize for efficiency. Exceeding limits results in truncated responses or API errors.

Which models does this token counter support?

Our token counter supports all major LLM models: GPT-4 (including GPT-4 Turbo and GPT-4 Vision), GPT-3.5 Turbo, Claude 3 (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku), Claude 2, Google Gemini Pro, and Llama 2/3 models. Each uses the correct tokenizer for accurate counts.

How accurate is the token count?

Our token counter uses the official tokenizers from OpenAI (tiktoken), Anthropic, and Google to provide exact token counts. The results match what you'll be charged by the API providers. For GPT models, we use the same cl100k_base and p50k_base encodings as OpenAI.

How can I reduce my token count?

Several strategies: Remove unnecessary words, use abbreviations, convert JSON to TOON format (50% reduction), compress whitespace, and structure prompts efficiently. For JSON data in prompts, TOON format is especially effective at reducing tokens while preserving all information.

Is this token counter free to use?

Yes! This token counter is completely free with unlimited usage. No registration, no API keys needed, and no hidden costs. Count tokens for any LLM model as many times as you need for development, testing, and optimization.