Head to head
zcloud vs OpenAI
zcloud resells the exact same OpenAI models through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint — at a fraction of the price. Here is how the two stack up.
zcloud vs OpenAI, side by side
| zcloud | OpenAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Up to ~95% below official OpenAI list, live per-model. | Official OpenAI list price, billed per token. |
| Model access | Curated frontier models (GPT, Claude, Gemini). | OpenAI models only (the GPT family). |
| Compatibility | OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible. | OpenAI-native (chat/completions, responses). |
| Payments | Crypto (USDC/USDT on Solana) and QRIS. | Cards, platform-managed. |
| Credentials | One API key, prepaid plans from $1. | One API key, pay-per-token. |
Example prices: official vs zcloud
| Model | Official · input | zrouter · input | Official · output | zrouter · output | % savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen 3.8 Max qwen3.8-max | $2.00 | $0.08 | $6.00 | $0.24 | 96% |
| GPT 6.1 Sol gpt-6.1-sol | $2.00 | $0.10 | $10.00 | $0.50 | 95% |
| Grok 4.6 grok-4.6 | $2.00 | $0.10 | $6.00 | $0.30 | 95% |
Qwen 3.8 Max96%
qwen3.8-max
- Official · input
- $2.00
- zrouter · input
- $0.08
- Official · output
- $6.00
- zrouter · output
- $0.24
GPT 6.1 Sol95%
gpt-6.1-sol
- Official · input
- $2.00
- zrouter · input
- $0.10
- Official · output
- $10.00
- zrouter · output
- $0.50
Grok 4.695%
grok-4.6
- Official · input
- $2.00
- zrouter · input
- $0.10
- Official · output
- $6.00
- zrouter · output
- $0.30
per 1M tokens
Frequently asked questions
Is zcloud as compatible as OpenAI itself?
zcloud's gateway implements the OpenAI chat/completions and responses protocols, so your OpenAI SDK code runs with only a base-URL change.
Will I get the same model output?
Yes — zcloud serves the real OpenAI models through its upstream, so outputs and quality match official.
How much cheaper is zcloud?
Most OpenAI models resell at up to ~95% below official list price; live savings are shown on each model page.