The 30-second summary
+ What we liked
- GPT Team accounts available at 0.05x — nearly free for older models
- Cheap Claude reverse-proxy: Sonnet 4.6 at ¥1(进)5(出)
- ¥1 free credit on registration
− What we didn't
- QQ email registration only (privacy concern)
- Codex GPT-5.3 subscription was ¥100/day ¥60 — expensive
- Retired Codex subscription with no replacement
In-depth review
TimiCC’s GPT Team accounts cost 0.05x the standard rate — that’s ¥5 for a ¥100 Team plan on older models. The cheap Claude reverse-proxy hits ¥1 per million input tokens and ¥5 per million output tokens for Sonnet 4.6.
Pricing Breakdown
TimiCC operates on a pay-as-you-go credit system with a ¥1 free credit upon registration. You recharge via 支付宝 or 微信支付. There’s no minimum recharge specified, so you can start with just ¥1.
| Model | Input (per million tokens) | Output (per million tokens) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | Not explicitly listed | Not explicitly listed | Uses credit balance; likely near cost |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet (reverse-proxy) | ¥1 | ¥5 | This is the “Sonnet 4.6” tier |
| GPT Team (older models) | 0.05x standard pricing | 0.05x standard pricing | ¥5 for a ¥100 Team plan |
The ¥1/¥5 rate for Claude Sonnet is aggressive — direct Anthropic API charges $3/$15 per million tokens (roughly ¥21/¥105 at current rates). TimiCC is undercutting by ~95% on input and ~95% on output. That’s suspiciously cheap and explains the 94% uptime.
GPT-4o pricing isn’t itemized in the data. You’ll burn through your ¥1 credit fast if you test GPT-4o without knowing the per-token rate.
Hidden Costs and Quirks
- Registration lock-in: QQ email only. If you don’t have a QQ account, you’re blocked. This also means your account is tied to Tencent’s ecosystem — privacy-conscious devs should walk away.
- No refund policy: Once you recharge, that money stays. No specified refunds or chargebacks.
- Codex subscription was ¥100/day ¥60: That’s ¥160 daily for a now-retired Codex plan. No replacement exists. If you relied on Codex, TimiCC has nothing for you.
- 94% uptime: That’s 2-3 days of downtime per month. For a relay station, that’s mediocre. Expect occasional outages during peak hours.
Cost Comparison vs Direct API
| Service | Claude Sonnet Input (per M tokens) | Claude Sonnet Output (per M tokens) |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Anthropic API | ~¥21 | ~¥105 |
| TimiCC reverse-proxy | ¥1 | ¥5 |
| Savings | 95% | 95% |
The math works if you accept the trade-offs: no SLA, no refunds, and potential data privacy risks from reverse-proxy routing.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- GPT Team accounts at 0.05x standard pricing — legitimate savings for older models
- Claude reverse-proxy at ¥1 input / ¥5 output — cheapest I’ve seen
- ¥1 free credit lets you test before committing
Cons
- QQ email registration only — privacy and accessibility issue
- No refund policy — recharged credits are locked
- 94% uptime — expect ~2 days of downtime monthly
- Codex subscription retired with no replacement — dead end for Codex users
Verdict
TimiCC is for budget users who accept quirks. The Claude reverse-proxy pricing is absurdly cheap — ¥1 input vs ¥21 direct. But you’re paying for that with 94% uptime, QQ-only registration, and zero refunds. If you’re building a side project and can tolerate occasional downtime, the math works. For production workloads or privacy-sensitive work, skip it.
FAQ
Q: Can I use TimiCC without a QQ email? A: No. Registration requires a QQ email address. No alternative login methods are available.
Q: Is the Claude reverse-proxy safe for production data? A: TimiCC has a 3/5 safety rating and 94% uptime. The reverse-proxy architecture means Anthropic sees requests from TimiCC’s IP, not yours. For non-sensitive workloads, it’s acceptable. For production with PII, avoid.
Q: What happens if I recharge ¥100 and the service goes down? A: No refund policy is specified. You lose access during downtime. The ¥1 free credit is safer for testing before committing real money.
Q: Does TimiCC support batch discounts or tiered pricing? A: No batch discounts are mentioned. Pricing is per-token at the rates listed above, regardless of volume.
Q: Is the GPT Team account at 0.05x for GPT-4o or only older models? A: The data specifies “older models” for the 0.05x Team pricing. GPT-4o pricing is not itemized — assume standard rates apply.
Pricing breakdown
TimiCC offers competitive pricing for developers. Here's the breakdown:
| Plan | Price | Quota | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Free trial | Kicking the tires |
| Standard RECOMMENDED | Pay-as-you-go/mo | Unlimited usage | Solo devs · small teams |
| Enterprise | Custom | SLA · dedicated support | Teams & agencies |
Supported models
2 models across major vendors.
Frequently asked questions
Can I access this platform from China without a VPN?
Most relay stations are accessible from Chinese ISPs. Check our review for specific routing details.
What payment methods are accepted?
Payment options vary by platform. Some accept Alipay/WeChat Pay, others are USD/crypto only.
How does this compare to using OpenAI directly?
Relay stations add routing latency but provide access from restricted regions, unified billing, and multi-model fallback.
Is my API key safe?
Keys are encrypted at rest. Most platforms support per-project scoping and IP allow-lists.
Should you use TimiCC?
Budget users willing to accept quirks