📚 AI API Relay Buying Guide
An evidence-driven, real-data knowledge base for choosing relay providers. All articles are based on 30+ days of TokenAPI Scan platform testing across 50 relay providers — detection, price scraping, and stability tracking. No ads, no referral links, no fake reviews.
How to Choose an OpenAI API Relay Provider — 2026 Complete Guide
5-dimension comparison: stability, pricing, compliance, speed, and model coverage. A selection methodology driven by 30+ real samples.
Claude API Relay vs Anthropic Official: 5 Real Differences
Protocol fields, usage pass-through, model endpoints, IP risk, invoice compliance — Claude relay and official differ on more than just a 3x price gap.
GPT-4o-mini Cost Optimization: 4 Tested Ways to Save 50%
From $0.30/M down to $0.10/M — not by luck. GPT-4o-mini cache discounts + short prompts + provider selection, tested in practice.
Why Do API Prices Differ 3-5x? — 6-Factor Breakdown
Same model, different relays = 3-5x price spread is not a black box. Cost structure, risk premium, and channel markup fully explained.
Claude Prompt Cache Complete Guide: 5m / 1h Tier Testing
cache_write_5m $3.75/M + cache_read $0.30/M — 6 scenarios tell you when to enable it.
Claude Haiku vs Sonnet: 4-Dimension Buying Guide
Price differs 10-20x but capability differs 2-3x — which task gets which model, settled here.
DeepSeek API Access and Relay Selection Guide
DeepSeek V4 pricing, relay selection, direct vs relay comparison, 34 providers tested
Gemini API Relay Selection and Pricing Guide
Gemini 3 series pricing, Flash vs Pro selection, 45 providers compared, relay security assessment
2026 AI Model Comparison: Claude vs GPT vs Gemini vs DeepSeek
Four model families compared on price, capability, relay coverage — 211 providers tested
0.02 Deepseek V4 Pro API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.02 Deepseek V4 Pro API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.02/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek Ai Deepseek V4 Flash API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek Ai Deepseek V4 Flash API pricing comparison: 3 relay providers, lowest price $0.1/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek R1 0528 Tput API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek R1 0528 Tput API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.55/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Ark Deepseek V3 250324 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Ark Deepseek V3 250324 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.292398/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek Ai Deepseek V3 0324 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek Ai Deepseek V3 0324 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.2/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.6 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.6 API pricing comparison: 6 relay providers, lowest price $3.0/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Grok 4.5 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Grok 4.5 API pricing comparison: 22 relay providers, lowest price $4e-06/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek Ai Deepseek R1 Distill Llama 70B API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek Ai Deepseek R1 Distill Llama 70B API pricing comparison: 2 relay providers, lowest price $0.7/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek Ai Deepseek V3.2 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek Ai Deepseek V3.2 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.04/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek Deepseek V3.1 Terminus API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek Deepseek V3.1 Terminus API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.21/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 4O Transcribe API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 4O Transcribe API pricing comparison: 16 relay providers, lowest price $1.25/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.008 Gemini 3 Flash Preview API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.008 Gemini 3 Flash Preview API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.008/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.03 C Cot Gemini 3 Pro Preview Thinking 128 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.03 C Cot Gemini 3 Pro Preview Thinking 128 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.03/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.01 Gemini 2.5 Pro API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.01 Gemini 2.5 Pro API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.01/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.005 Gemini 2.5 Flash API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.005 Gemini 2.5 Flash API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.005/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image API pricing comparison: 20 relay providers, lowest price $1e-06/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite API pricing comparison: 29 relay providers, lowest price $0.013235/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.02 Gpt 5.5 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.02 Gpt 5.5 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.02/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.04 Grok 4 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.04 Grok 4 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.04/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Grok 4.3 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Grok 4.3 API pricing comparison: 25 relay providers, lowest price $3e-06/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.04 Grok 4.2 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.04 Grok 4.2 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.04/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Grok 4.20 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Grok 4.20 API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $1.25/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 4O Mini Transcribe API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 4O Mini Transcribe API pricing comparison: 12 relay providers, lowest price $1.25/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 4O Audio Preview API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 4O Audio Preview API pricing comparison: 17 relay providers, lowest price $1.0/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.01 Gemini 3.5 Flash API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.01 Gemini 3.5 Flash API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.01/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
0.01 Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
0.01 Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.01/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 7B API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 7B API pricing comparison: 6 relay providers, lowest price $2e-05/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Deepseek R1 7B API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Deepseek R1 7B API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $75.0/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Llama 4 Maverick API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Llama 4 Maverick API pricing comparison: 4 relay providers, lowest price $0.2/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.5 Pro API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.5 Pro API pricing comparison: 16 relay providers, lowest price $0.74/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.4 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.4 API pricing comparison: 93 relay providers, lowest price $5e-06/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5 Codex API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5 Codex API pricing comparison: 30 relay providers, lowest price $1.07/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.6 Sol API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.6 Sol API pricing comparison: 60 relay providers, lowest price $1e-05/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.5 Instant API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.5 Instant API pricing comparison: 4 relay providers, lowest price $5.0/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.4 Nano API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.4 Nano API pricing comparison: 23 relay providers, lowest price $0.08/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.4 Mini API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.4 Mini API pricing comparison: 76 relay providers, lowest price $2e-06/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.4 Pro API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.4 Pro API pricing comparison: 18 relay providers, lowest price $0.164706/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.4 Thinking API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.4 Thinking API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.319853/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5 Mini API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5 Mini API pricing comparison: 39 relay providers, lowest price $0.04/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5 Nano API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5 Nano API pricing comparison: 37 relay providers, lowest price $0.02/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5 Codex Mini API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5 Codex Mini API pricing comparison: 9 relay providers, lowest price $0.25/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
O3 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
O3 API pricing comparison: 32 relay providers, lowest price $0.0012/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 4O Transcribe Diarize API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 4O Transcribe Diarize API pricing comparison: 11 relay providers, lowest price $2.5/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 4O Mini Tts API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 4O Mini Tts API pricing comparison: 15 relay providers, lowest price $0.6/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.5 Codex Auto Review API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.5 Codex Auto Review API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $5.0/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.5 Thinking API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.5 Thinking API pricing comparison: 1 relay providers, lowest price $0.355294/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.5 High API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.5 High API pricing comparison: 4 relay providers, lowest price $5.0/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.4 Openai Compact API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.4 Openai Compact API pricing comparison: 40 relay providers, lowest price $0.01/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5.2 API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5.2 API pricing comparison: 38 relay providers, lowest price $0.110294/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Gpt 5 Codex High API Pricing: Official vs Relay, Which is Cheapest?
Gpt 5 Codex High API pricing comparison: 8 relay providers, lowest price $1.25/1M tokens. Official vs relay pricing.
Claude Code Domain Detection: The Complete 147-Domain List
Anthropic embedded 147 domains in Claude Code's client-side checks. We verified all 124 relay domains for real-time reachability - 101 alive, 59 China-accessible, 13 confirmed dead. Includes detection mechanism analysis and Unicode steganography encoding.
Read the full report →