Question 1

What is an AI API proxy?

Accepted Answer

A third-party platform that resells OpenAI / Anthropic API access — single top-up, unified billing, unified endpoint. They buy tokens at wholesale and retail them at a discount. Most run on open-source software like one-api or new-api.

Question 2

How does the model multiplier work?

Accepted Answer

In the mainstream new-api convention, a model's multiplier is its discount relative to the official price. Multiplier 1 = same price, 0.22 = 22% of official (a 78% discount), 0.5 = half off. To get your effective rate, multiply this factor by your top-up rate. Lower multiplier means cheaper tokens. The earlier one-api convention used an absolute baseline ($2 per million tokens), but the discount-style multiplier has largely taken over.

Question 3

Top-up rate vs. effective rate — what's the difference?

Accepted Answer

Top-up rate is the fixed "X CNY = 1 USD balance" conversion. The effective rate folds in model multipliers, group multipliers, and the official USD rate to tell you the real "CNY needed to buy 1 USD of official API credit." Only the effective rate tells you whether a proxy is actually cheap.

Question 4

How can proxies sell at 70–80% off official prices?

Accepted Answer

Three things: bulk wholesale buys, native CNY billing (skipping USD payment friction), and aggressive subsidies on popular models like Claude / Codex (loss-leader, recovered on other models). Per-proxy cost structure is trade-secret, but the underlying math is no mystery.

Question 5

How do I pick a reliable proxy?

Accepted Answer

Four signals — published multipliers (no hidden surcharges), at least six months of operating history, searchable community feedback on stability, and native SDK support (not just a web chat UI). Cheapest is not always best — outages, lost balances, and sudden rate-limit changes are real costs.

Question 6

Proxy API or Claude Pro / Max subscription — which is better?

Accepted Answer

Depends on monthly volume. Claude Pro $20 ≈ ¥140; Max 5x $100 ≈ ¥700. At an effective rate of 1.5 CNY/USD, ¥140 already buys ~$91 of official credit — over 4× Claude Pro's budget. Heavy Claude Code users may still prefer subscriptions for the "unlimited" feel and looser rate limits. Use the "Subscription Equivalence" tab to find your crossover point.

AI API Proxy Pricing Calculator

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