A Detailed Guide to Claude API Pricing: A Comparison of Pricing Structures for Different Models (2026)

This article is intended for developers in China and provides a detailed breakdown of the pricing for the full range of Anthropic Claude model APIs, helping you make the best choice when selecting a model. We also recommend cost-effective domestic proxy solutions that allow you to use the service directly without the need for a VPN.

I. Overview of Official Claude API Pricing

The Claude API uses a per-token billing model, distinguishing between two types of usage: input and output. Prices vary significantly across different models, and choosing the wrong model could result in costs that are several times higher.

The following are the official model pricing details released by Anthropic for 2026 (in USD per million tokens):

Note: The prices listed above are taken from Anthropic’s official documentation; in case of any changes, please refer to the official website.

II. Detailed Pricing and Recommended Use Cases for Each Model

Claude 3.7 Sonnet

Claude 3.7 Sonnet is currently Anthropic’s flagship model and supports the Extended Thinking mode. Input costs $3.00 per million tokens, and output costs $15.00 per million tokens. This model significantly outperforms version 3.5 in mathematics, coding, and logical reasoning, making it ideal for scenarios requiring in-depth analysis.

When Extended Thinking is enabled, tokens generated during the thinking process are also billed, so the actual cost may be higher. We recommend enabling this mode only when complex reasoning is truly necessary.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet

It costs the same as 3.7 Sonnet but does not support extended reasoning. It performs exceptionally well in tasks such as code assistance, document processing, and multilingual translation, making it a cost-effective choice for most production scenarios.

Claude 3.5 Haiku

Priced at only about a quarter of the cost of Sonnet, it is ideal for lightweight tasks requiring high concurrency and low latency, such as:

• Text Classification and Annotation
• Simple Q&A Dialogue
• Structured Information Extraction

Claude 3 Opus

Highest cost; input: $$15.00/M tokens, output: $$75.00/M tokens. Unless there are specific precision requirements, we recommend prioritizing the 3.7 Sonnet alternative.

Claude 3 Haiku

The most affordable entry-level model, ideal for batch processing tasks. The cost per conversation is extremely low—just $0.25 for one million tokens of input.

III. Price Comparison Between the Claude API and GPT-4o

Many developers are torn between Claude and GPT-4o. Here is a price comparison of their flagship models:

Claude’s output costs slightly more than GPT-4o, but its 200K ultra-long context window offers a clear advantage when processing long documents. If your task requires handling a large amount of context, Claude may be the better choice.

IV. How to Reduce the Cost of Using the Claude API

1. Choose the right model

Don’t use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Use Haiku for simple tasks, and Sonnet for complex reasoning. Estimate your average daily token consumption and choose the model that offers the best value for money.

2. Optimize the prompt to reduce the number of invalid tokens

A lengthy system prompt increases the number of input tokens for each invocation. Recommendation:

• The prompt has been condensed to include only the essential information.
• Avoid filling with unnecessary background
• Use structured formats instead of natural language descriptions

3. Set `max_tokens` to a reasonable value

Set a reasonable max_tokens limit to prevent the model from generating too much unnecessary content.

4. Save costs by using domestic transit services

The official Claude API is priced in U.S. dollars, so you also need to factor in exchange rate losses and top-up fees. Domestic API resellers typically offer pricing in Chinese yuan, and some platforms even charge less than the official price after conversion.

5. Recommended Solution: Use jiekou.ai as a relay service—it saves you money and hassle

For domestic developers, using the official Claude API directly also presents the following challenges:

• You need an international payment method (credit card) to top up your account
• Internet connection is unstable; a proxy is required
• The actual cost, when converted to RMB, is on the high side

jiekou.ai is an API relay platform designed for developers in China. Its key features are as follows:

• Direct connection within China; no VPN required
• Supports the entire Claude model family, including 3.7 Sonnet, 3.5 Sonnet, and Haiku
• Priced in RMB; supports Alipay and WeChat Pay top-ups
• Compatible with OpenAI format; simply modify the base_url to migrate seamlessly
• Pay-as-you-go, no monthly fees

Integration Example (Anthropic SDK):

import anthropic
client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    api_key="your-api-key",
    base_url="https://api.jiekou.ai"
)
message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "请介绍一下你自己"}
    ]
)
print(message.content[0].text)

If you are using the OpenAI SDK (compatibility mode):

from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
    api_key="your-api-key",
    base_url="https://api.jiekou.ai/v1"
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "你好"}
    ]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

VI. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does the Claude API offer a free quota?

Anthropic offers a limited amount of free credits to new users, but these credits have an expiration date and are subject to availability. We recommend that you thoroughly test the service while your free credits are available and only purchase additional credits once you are satisfied that it meets your needs.

Q: Is the Claude API billed monthly or on a pay-as-you-go basis?

The service is strictly pay-as-you-go, with no monthly subscription fees. However, you must first purchase credits, which are deducted as you use them.

Q: How are tokens calculated?

Each Chinese character consumes approximately 1.5–2 tokens, while each English token corresponds to about 4 characters. You can use the tokenizer tool provided by Anthropic to estimate usage.

Q: Can I sign up for a Claude API account directly from within China?

Currently, Anthropic imposes certain restrictions on users in China; both registration and top-ups require an international phone number or payment method. This is the primary reason why many Chinese developers opt for intermediary services.

Conclusion

The Claude API offers a transparent pricing structure; by selecting the appropriate model based on task complexity, you can strike the optimal balance between performance and cost. For developers in China, using intermediary platforms like jiekou.ai not only helps bypass network and payment barriers but also provides more convenient top-up options and customer support.

If you're new to the Claude API, why not start by signing up at jiekou.ai? You can try out different models at a low cost and then decide which solution to use long-term.