For Claude Opus 4.6, Faxian AI is about 22% cheaper than OpenRouter at ¥0.05 per call versus roughly ¥0.064 per equivalent OpenRouter call at 10M-token monthly usage. The trade-off is a very limited selection of only three models.
Pricing comparison
| Dimension | Faxian AI | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.5 call price | ¥0.05/call | ~¥0.06/call (attoken) |
| Claude Opus 4.6 call price | ¥0.05/call | ~¥0.064/call |
| Free quota | ¥0 (New-user trial) | $1 Registration credit |
| Minimum top-up | ¥1 | $5 |
| Payment methods | Alipay, WeChat Pay | credit card, Crypto |
| Total models | 3 | 200+ |
Model coverage andAPIcompatible
Faxian AI offers only three models: GPT-5.5, Claude Opus 4.6, and Codex. OpenRouter has 200+ models, including DeepSeek, the Gemini series, and various open-source models. For API compatibility, Faxian AI supports the OpenAI-compatible format, so migration cost is low. If you need to switch models for A/B tests, OpenRouter offers far greater model-selection freedom. Key issue: Faxian AI labels its endpoints “GPT-5.5” and “Claude Opus 4.6”, while OpenRouter uses the mainstream GPT-5 and Claude Opus 4.5 IDs. Prompts migrated from OpenRouter may behave differently.
China access and payments
Faxian AI does not require a VPN and works over domestic networks. It supports Alipay and WeChat Pay with a ¥1 minimum top-up. OpenRouter requires overseas payment methods, so developers in China often rely on third-party top-ups or VPN proxies. Faxian AI launched in March 2026 and reports 94% uptime versus OpenRouter’s 99.9%+. I hit one five-minute timeout during testing; OpenRouter was normal in the same period.
pay per call vs attokenbilling
Faxian AI’s ¥0.05-per-call pricing favors short prompts. A simple code completion may cost about ¥0.02 on OpenRouter’s token billing, while long-document summaries can be cheaper on OpenRouter. Hands-on test: I ran 10 GPT-5.5 calls with prompts of about 500 tokens. Faxian AI charged ¥0.5; OpenRouter’s GPT-5 price was about ¥0.4. OpenRouter was slightly cheaper for short calls, but the difference was small.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Alipay/WeChat Pay, ¥1minimum top-up, Zero barrier for domestic developers
- Simple pay-per-use model, no calculation neededtoken
- CodexandGPT-5.5Bundled availability, Ideal for code generation Cons
- only3models, almost no switching options
- uptime 94%, high production risk
- 2026year3launched in the month, limited operating history
- non-standard model names, Compatibility is doubtful
Verdict
Faxian AI fits two groups: Chinese developers who want a quick test of Claude Opus 4.6 or GPT-5.5 with a ¥1 minimum top-up, and users who dislike OpenRouter’s more complex token billing. It is not suitable for multi-model switching, high-availability production workloads, or workflows built around DeepSeek and Gemini. OpenRouter remains the stronger choice for model breadth and stability. If you only need Claude Opus 4.6 for small-scale testing, Faxian AI is about 22% cheaper without a VPN. Do not use it as your primary production API relay.
FAQ
Q: Faxian AI ofGPT-5.5andOpenRouterofGPT-5Is it the same model?? A: Not. GPT-5.5It was foundAICustom naming of, OpenRouter onGPT-5Official standard version. Behavior may differ between the two, Recommended to verify with low traffic first. Q: Faxian AIDoes it support streaming output?? A: Platform data is not clearly specified, butOpenAIcompatibleAPIUsually supported. Suggest testing one directlystream=TrueCall confirmation of. Q: Faxian AIWhat is the refund policy? A: not specified. Before topping up, add only¥1test, to limit financial risk. OpenRouter has a clear unused-balance refund policy.
Data provenance: any figures from hands-on checks are author-reported and tested on the recorded date. Independent verification is unavailable unless a source is linked.
