Cheap AI API Keys: The Independent Reality Check
Resellers promise Claude, GPT and Gemini at a fraction of list price. We read their terms so you don't have to, record who is actually behind each site, and give you a free browser-based tool to test whether a discounted key serves the real model.
How the board grades refunds
The board: 7 cheap-API resellers, compared
Terms re-checked 2026-09-22 · Reachability checked 2026-11-07 UTC
An API aggregation platform (domain registered 2026-05-02) that leads with 'fingerprint-verified' model authenticity, yet discloses no legal entity, address, or governing law in its own terms.
A Vietnam-market key shop (VietQR, Telegram delivery, anonymous purchase supported) with the bluntest refund clause of the seven: 'No refunds in any case', including unused credit.
A Russian-first reseller governed by Kazakhstan law that names no operating entity, and whose homepage 'Production-ready? Yes' sits next to terms declaring the service beta and 'AS IS'.
A Hong Kong-registered storefront ('LOOM AGNECY') whose refund policy heading is literally 'ABSOLUTE NO REFUND', and whose SLA carves upstream provider outages out of compensation.
A placeholder-stage landing page — no terms, no pricing, no contact — whose only two lines of copy quote different discount figures (40% vs 40-60%).
A Venice.ai credit reseller (USDC on Base, or Stripe card / Apple Pay / Google Pay as of our 2026-09-23 capture) that is candid about being 'a reseller, not a proxy' — and equally candid that credits expire nightly and 'all sales are final'.
A 'wholesale' storefront for Distribyte Inc. (dba inference.ai) — the only reseller here that publishes a named US corporation with a street address — whose terms let it cut the purchasing power of credits you already paid for.
Refund grades are assigned from each provider's own published terms only (A = clearly refundable … F = explicit no-refund or unilateral balance changes; N/A = no terms published). See our methodology. Each quoted clause carries its own capture date; terms change — always re-read the source. "Site status" is a daily automated check of whether the provider's website responds — it says nothing about the API itself; see each provider's review page for the full reachability history.
Why trust anxiety is rational here
All 7 domains on the board were registered in or after December 2025 — 2 of them are less than six months old. 4 of the 7 do not name a legal entity anywhere on their site. 3 have explicit no-refund clauses graded F, and one reserves the right to reduce the purchasing power of credits you already bought. None of that means a given reseller won't deliver — it means you should verify before you rely on one. That's what the verifier is for, and it runs entirely in your browser: your key never touches our servers.
Start here
- Refund policies compared — the exact clauses, side by side.
- Claims vs. reality — what a seller advertises, next to what its own pages show.
- Terms changelog — refund, law and pricing changes, dated and sourced.
- Verify a key — is your cheap Claude/GPT endpoint serving the real model?
- Methodology — how we grade, what we will and won't claim.
Looking for a lower-cost relay?
Sponsored — not part of our ratings. Synced from howtok.net.-
NovaAPI
WeChat PayAlipayUSDTVISA
NovaAPI describes itself as a global AI token relay platform offering unified access to OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, and Chinese LLMs through low-latency, always-on routing. It advertises transparent pricing with API calls discounted up to 15% off list rates, plus a referral program with ongoing rewards.
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CodeKey
AlipayWeChat PayUSDT
CodeKey describes itself as an AI API relay for developers, individuals, and teams, with access to Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, GLM, Kimi, Grok, and Gemini. It provides an English-language site, accepts WeChat Pay, Alipay, and USDT, and states that ¥1 paid gives $1 in platform credit. The operator also states that ordinary invoices are available from ¥200 without a fee and that refunds are available at any time without a fee.
These are paid placements synced from howtok.net's relay-station directory — a separate list from the board above, which we do independently review and verify. CheapAPIKeys has no affiliation with the sponsors listed here; nothing on this page is an endorsement.