Token Compression Calculator
Estimate the token savings achieved by compressing or summarizing prompt text.
Inputs
Fraction of original retained (0.4 = 60% reduction)
Compressed Tokens
2,000
Tokens Saved
3,000
Reduction
60.0%
Step by step
Compressed tokens
5000 × 0.4
= 2000
Tokens saved
5000 − 2000
= 3000
Reduction percentage
3000 ÷ 5000 × 100
= 60.0%
How it works
Token compression reduces prompt size through summarization, removing redundancy, or using specialized compression techniques like LLMLingua. A compression ratio of 0.4 means only 40% of original tokens are retained while preserving most semantic content.
Formula
Compression
compressed = original_tokens × compression_ratio; saved = original - compressed
- compression_ratio
- Fraction of tokens retained after compression
Frequently Asked Questions
Does compression affect response quality?
Aggressive compression (below 30% retention) often degrades quality. The sweet spot is typically 40-60% retention where most information is preserved with significant cost savings.
What techniques achieve token compression?
Methods include extractive summarization, removing filler words, LLMLingua-style prompt compression, and structured prompt templates that convey the same information in fewer tokens.