A Claude API gateway that is cheap, stable, and shows its numbers
0 Claude models, default channel ×1, billed at 1 Credit = ¥1 — a real 0% below the Anthropic USD list price. Native Messages pass-through with automatic failover on 500 / 529 / rate limits. Alipay top-ups, no monthly fee.
How to pick a gateway: what cheap, stable and value actually mean
Anyone can claim “cheapest” or “most stable”. These four checks can be verified, and each one ends with what WandAPI does — every number is on this page.
Compare real discounts, not multipliers
Most gateways advertise “list price ×0.7”, but the billing currency changes everything. Real discount = 1 − multiplier × (USD value of 1 Credit). Same multiplier, and a 1 Credit = ¥1 gateway is far cheaper than a 1 Credit = $1 one.
WandAPI: Charges the list number at 1 Credit = ¥1, default channel ×1 — a real 0% below the USD list price. Every row in the price table shows the struck-through list price so you can check.
Look for published uptime data, not reviews
“Stable” needs numbers: per-model probe success rate, latency and real 7-day throughput should be visible before you pay, not something you ask around for.
WandAPI: Every model page publishes 7 days of probe history, uptime and p95 latency; the last column of the price table below is each model’s 7-day uptime.
Check that the protocol passes through natively
Claude Code, Cursor and friends speak the Anthropic Messages protocol. A gateway that translates to OpenAI format and back will eventually break streaming, thinking or tool_use.
WandAPI: Claude models pass through the Messages protocol natively, no translation; the same key also works in OpenAI Chat / Responses format so old code needs no changes.
Check the exit: no monthly fee, budgets, a free trial
Cheap only counts if you are not locked in: no monthly fee or minimum top-up, keys with budget and model limits, and free credits on sign-up before you decide to pay.
WandAPI: Free credits on sign-up, pay-as-you-go Alipay top-ups, a budget cap and model allowlist per key; email alerts before the balance runs out.
WandAPI vs direct vs overseas aggregators
Same Claude models on all three routes — the differences are pricing, payment and failure handling.
| Dimension | Anthropic direct | Aggregators billing at USD list price (OpenRouter etc.) | WandAPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | USD list price | USD list price 1:1 | List number ×1, charged at 1 Credit = ¥1 |
| Exchange rate | Your card’s rate | Platform rate plus a top-up fee | Real 0% savings, live Stripe rate published |
| Payment | International credit card | International card / crypto | Alipay, invoices in CNY |
| Monthly fee / minimum | No monthly fee, prepaid | No monthly fee, top-up fee | No monthly fee, no minimum, free credits on sign-up |
| Official 500 / 529 / rate limits | Retry yourself | Depends on the platform | Automatic failover before the first frame, several upstream keys share the limits |
| Protocol | Native Messages | Usually translated to OpenAI format | Native Messages pass-through, plus OpenAI Chat / Responses format |
| Claude Code / Cursor | Supported | Depends on the platform | Supported, just change the base URL |
| Billing and budgets | Per account | Per platform account | Split per model and per key, budget cap per key |
What makes it stable: four mechanisms
A stable gateway is not one whose servers stay up — it is one where your request still gets an answer when the vendor has a bad day.
Failover before the first frame
Each model has several upstream channels. On a 500, 529 overload or rate limit the gateway resends via another channel before the first frame, so the client never sees the error.
Several upstream keys share the limits
When one key hits RPM / TPM limits the next one takes over — no waiting for the window to reset.
Health-based routing
Every channel is probed continuously; overloaded ones are down-weighted and requests prefer the healthy one.
Zero-buffer streaming
Every SSE frame is forwarded as it arrives, nothing is batched; streaming feels identical to a direct connection.
Three ways to connect
Swap the base URL for WandAPI and the key for one starting with sk-sole-; the request body is identical to the official API.
# ~/.zshrc / ~/.bashrc
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.wandapi.com"
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-sole-..."
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="model-id"
claudeThree steps
- 1Sign up and receive free credits.
- 2Console → API Keys → New; set a budget or restrict models if you like.
- 3Point the base URL at https://api.wandapi.com and replace in the sample with any Claude model.
FAQ
Which Claude API gateway is the cheapest? How do I compare?
Compare real discounts, not multipliers: real discount = 1 − multiplier × (USD value of 1 Credit). WandAPI’s default channel is ×1 at 1 Credit = ¥1, a real 0% below list price; the cheapest Claude model is at Credits per million input tokens. Every row of the price table shows the struck-through list price — plug another gateway’s numbers into the same formula to compare.
Is a Claude gateway stable? How can I verify it?
Trust data, not reviews. Every WandAPI model page publishes 7 days of probe history, uptime and p95 latency. Stability comes from four mechanisms: failover before the first frame on 500 / 529 / rate limits, several upstream keys sharing the limits, health-based routing and zero-buffer SSE forwarding.
How is this different from OpenRouter?
OpenRouter bills at the USD list price 1:1, adds a top-up fee and needs an international card. WandAPI charges the list number ×1 at 1 Credit = ¥1 — a real 0% saving — with Alipay top-ups and CNY invoices; Claude models pass through the Messages protocol natively without OpenAI-format translation.
Compared with Anthropic direct, is the model degraded or throttled?
No. Same models, same protocol (native Messages pass-through; thinking, tool_use and streaming are forwarded as-is), and not a single field in the request body changes. What you gain is automatic failover when the official API fails, Alipay top-ups with CNY invoices, and per-key usage and budget control.
Is a Claude gateway safe? Can anyone see my data?
Secrets such as API keys and emails are masked before forwarding; traffic is encrypted end to end; your requests are never used to train any model. Keys can be restricted to models and budgets and revoked instantly if leaked.
Does it work with Claude Code, Cursor and Cline?
Yes. Point ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL at https://api.wandapi.com and use a key starting with sk-sole-; tools that speak OpenAI format use https://api.wandapi.com/v1. All tools share one key and one balance.
How do I top up? Is there a minimum or a free tier?
Free credits on sign-up. Console → Wallet, Alipay supported; 1 Credit = ¥1, pay as you go, no monthly fee or minimum top-up. You get an email before the balance runs out.
Change one base URL and run Claude cheaper and steadier
Free credits on sign-up, Alipay top-ups, pay as you go, no monthly fee.