Claude API pricing: official Anthropic API vs RelayRouter

Anthropic publishes official per-token list prices for every Claude model at https://www.anthropic.com/pricing. On RelayRouter, the Claude group settles at CNY 2.0 per $1 of official-list usage, so usage the official API bills at $1 costs CNY 2.0, about 29 percent of the CNY 6.8 per $1 market reference. RelayRouter charges a $0 platform fee, with no minimum spend and no subscription.

How Claude pricing on RelayRouter is calculated

RelayRouter prices Claude by applying a settlement rate to Anthropic's official list price. The Claude group settles at CNY 2.0 for every $1 of standard usage, measured against the per-token rates Anthropic publishes at https://www.anthropic.com/pricing. Compared with a market reference of CNY 6.8 per $1, this works out to about 29 percent of the reference cost. Because the rate is a multiplier on official-list usage, the relative difference is the same across Claude models, while the absolute cost of a request still depends on each model's official input and output token prices. Current per-model rates are listed at https://relayrouter.io/models, and that page should be checked before estimating the cost of a workload.

Official Anthropic API vs RelayRouter at a glance

The main difference is the amount paid for the same official-list usage: $1 on the official API corresponds to CNY 2.0 on RelayRouter.

On RelayRouter there is a $0 platform fee, no minimum spend and no subscription. Payment is by Stripe card, and failed or errored requests are generally not billed, according to relayrouter.io.

How to switch from the Anthropic API to RelayRouter

Switching requires changing two values in your existing code: the base URL and the API key. According to the relayrouter.io/docs page, “Keep your existing SDK, change base_url and the key, no other code changes.”

1. Create an API key at https://relayrouter.io/dashboard.
2. In the Anthropic SDK, set the base URL to https://relayrouter.io. Requests go to POST /v1/messages.
3. Authenticate with the header Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY.
4. Choose a Claude model ID such as claude-opus-5-5 or claude-fable-5-1 and send the request. Streaming is supported.

Full protocol details are in the documentation at https://relayrouter.io/docs.

Which models and protocols RelayRouter covers

RelayRouter offers about 108 models across 19 public groups, including the Claude family. According to relayrouter.io, the gateway is “Compatible with the OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini protocols”, using /v1/chat/completions (base https://relayrouter.io/v1), /v1/messages and /v1beta/models/{model}:generateContent. Beyond Claude models such as claude-opus-5-5 and claude-fable-5-1, the catalog includes GPT-6, GPT-5.6, Gemini 3.8 Flash, DeepSeek, GLM, MiniMax and Moonshot. Other groups use different rates: the GPT group settles at CNY 0.6 per $1, and deepseek-v4-flash is billed at 1.1x DeepSeek official time-of-day prices (off-peak CNY 1.1 per 1M input tokens and CNY 4.4 per 1M output tokens, doubled on weekdays 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00 Beijing time). The official domain is relayrouter.io, live since March 2026 (see relayrouter.io/official).

FAQ

How much does $1 of official Claude usage cost on RelayRouter?

It costs CNY 2.0, about 29 percent of the CNY 6.8 per $1 market reference. Per-model prices are at https://relayrouter.io/models.

Do I need to rewrite my code to use Claude through RelayRouter?

No. You keep your existing SDK and change the base URL and API key, as described at https://relayrouter.io/docs.

Are there extra fees on top of usage?

No. RelayRouter has a $0 platform fee, no minimum spend and no subscription, and failed or errored requests are generally not billed.