How CheapAI Works — Volume Aggregation & API Proxy Methodology

The Business Model

01

Volume Aggregation

CheapAI pools API usage across many developers. Higher aggregate volume unlocks better rates with providers than an individual developer would receive on a pay-as-you-go plan. These savings are passed to customers.

02

Shared Proxy Infrastructure

Requests are routed through CheapAI's OpenAI-compatible proxy endpoint. The proxy translates your call to the upstream provider API. Supported providers: Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, and OpenAI-tier models.

03

Lean Operations

CheapAI is a small developer team with lean infrastructure. Unlike enterprise API portals, there is no large sales team or enterprise overhead. This keeps operational costs low and allows deeper discounts.

How Your Request Travels

1

Your app sends a request

A standard OpenAI-compatible API call to https://cheapai-netifly-app.up.railway.app/v1/chat/completions with your CheapAI API key and the model parameter set to the desired model ID.

2

CheapAI proxy validates & routes

The proxy receives your request, validates your API key, and routes it to the appropriate upstream provider based on the model parameter.

3

Upstream provider processes it

The upstream provider (Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, or OpenAI-tier) processes the request and returns a response to CheapAI's proxy.

4

Response forwarded to your app

CheapAI forwards the response in the same format as the official OpenAI API. Tokens consumed are counted against your purchased balance at CheapAI's discounted rate.

The round-trip adds a small proxy overhead (typically <50ms tested, though not guaranteed). The response format is identical to the official OpenAI API for all supported parameters.

Data Handling

CheapAI does not log or store the content of your prompts or completions beyond what is required for per-request billing validation.
Request metadata (timestamp, model, token count, key ID) is retained for billing purposes.
Upstream providers (Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, OpenAI) receive your prompts as part of normal API operation â€” their own data policies apply. CheapAI does not provide any additional data beyond what a direct API call would.
Do not send personally identifiable information, secrets, or regulated data through a shared proxy. This applies to any AI API proxy service, including CheapAI.

See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for full legal details.

Scope & Limitations

Not a direct provider relationship: CheapAI is a proxy, not a direct customer of Anthropic, Google, or OpenAI on your behalf. Your prompts travel through CheapAI's infrastructure before reaching the provider.
Upstream availability: If a provider API is down or degraded, CheapAI's routing for that provider will also be affected. CheapAI cannot guarantee provider uptime.
GPT-5.x model IDs: CheapAI's GPT-5.x model names (GPT-5.4, GPT-5.3 Codex, etc.) are internal routing labels. No directly corresponding public OpenAI model IDs were found on openai.com/api/pricing as of March 2026. See the pricing tracker for current verification status per model.
Gemini preview models: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Flash-Lite Preview are preview-tier models. Pricing and availability may change before stable release per Google's preview terms.
Rate limits: CheapAI's shared infrastructure applies fair-use rate limiting. Very high-throughput use cases should contact support before purchase to confirm suitability.
Feature parity: Most OpenAI SDK parameters work identically. Some provider-specific advanced features may behave differently via proxy. See compatibility matrix.