Introduction
One API key for every model in the catalog, billed per token from a prepaid US-dollar balance.
cheapaimodel is a model gateway. You create an API key in the console, top up a dollar balance, and call models over the APIs your tools already speak.
What you get
- Two wire formats, one key. OpenAI-style endpoints (
/v1/chat/completions,/v1/responses,/v1/embeddings) and the Anthropic Messages endpoint (/v1/messages) share the same key and balance. Each model lists the endpoints it supports in the model catalog. - Drop-in for existing SDKs. Point the official OpenAI SDK at our base URL, or the Anthropic SDK for models that list
/v1/messages; no new client library. - Transparent pricing. Every model lists its input and output price per million tokens in the model catalog. Usage is deducted from your balance as you go.
- Keys you can fence in. Give each app its own key with an expiry date, a spending budget, a model allowlist or an IP allowlist.
Base URLs
| Format | Base URL |
|---|---|
| OpenAI SDKs and OpenAI-compatible tools | https://api.cheapaimodel.ai/v1 |
| Anthropic SDKs and Claude Code | https://api.cheapaimodel.ai |
The Anthropic SDKs append /v1/messages themselves, so their base URL has no /v1.