2026 LLM API Pricing Comparison: Claude, GPT, and Grok Official Rates vs. Relay Discounts — How to Choose
If you build with AI tools like Claude Code, Cherry Studio, or Cline, your first monthly bill will probably make you rethink just how expensive the official APIs really are. This article lays out official pricing for the major models in a single table, and shows how much you can save by calling them through an API relay — and what to watch out for.
Table of Contents
1. Official Pricing at a Glance: Why It Costs So Much 2. The Relay Model: Same Models, Lower Prices 3. RouteAPI Pricing and Model List 4. Get Started in 5 Minutes 5. FAQ1. Official Pricing at a Glance: Why It Costs So Much
Take Anthropic's official pricing as an example: flagship models are billed per million tokens, with input and output priced separately:
| Model | Input / 1M tokens | Output / 1M tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus series | $15 | $75 |
| Claude Sonnet series | $3 | $15 |
| Claude Haiku series | $0.80–$1 | $4–$5 |
A developer who uses Claude Code heavily can burn through hundreds of thousands to over a million tokens per day — at official rates, that easily adds up to $100+ a month. The same goes for OpenAI and xAI flagship models, where combined input and output pricing routinely exceeds $10 per million tokens.
2. The Relay Model: Same Models, Lower Prices
An API relay (also called an API gateway or forwarding service) works like this: the provider acquires quota in bulk or via subscription from official or other channels, then resells it to developers through a unified interface. What you get:
- Price discounts: mainstream relays sell at 10–50% of the official price — the same models, at a significantly lower cost.
- One unified interface: a single API key and one OpenAI/Anthropic-compatible protocol for calling Claude, GPT, Gemini, and Grok — no need to juggle multiple accounts and billing systems.
- Pay as you go: top up a balance and pay per token, with no monthly-fee barrier.
3. RouteAPI Pricing and Model List
RouteAPI is a unified LLM API gateway that bills every model at 49% of the official reference price. Here is a sample of the models currently on sale:
| Model | Input / 1M tokens | Output / 1M tokens |
|---|---|---|
| claude-opus-5 | $2.45 | $12.25 |
| claude-sonnet-4-6 | $1.47 | $7.35 |
| claude-haiku-4-5 | $0.49 | $2.45 |
| gpt-5.6-terra | $0.61 | $3.06 |
| grok-4.7 | $1.47 | $7.35 |
See the model catalog for the complete list and live prices. Every model page includes example calls and the current per-unit price.
4. Get Started in 5 Minutes
- Sign up or log in at RouteAPI (Google one-click login supported);
- Create an API Key in the console;
- Point your client's base_url at
https://route-api.site/v1and use the model names from the catalog; - When your balance runs low, top up online on the recharge page — funds are credited automatically after successful payment.
5. FAQ
Are the relay's models the same as the official ones? Yes — you are calling the same upstream models, with identical protocols and output.
Is streaming output supported? Yes — "stream": true behaves exactly like the official API.
How fast are top-ups credited? Usually within 1 minute of successful payment, automatically — no manual review required.