The 30-second summary
+ What we liked
- Competitive pricing on main models
- Good availability rate
- Active development
− What we didn't
- Newer station — limited long-term data
- Customer support channels limited
In-depth review
ZeroCode positions itself as a budget-friendly entry point for developers testing the waters with AI API relay stations. It offers direct access to GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet without requiring a VPN, but its limitations become apparent quickly for production workloads.
Pricing & Free Tier
ZeroCode operates on a free-to-start model with no monthly subscription fee. This is a significant differentiator for developers who want to evaluate the service before committing financially.
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | Access to GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet |
| Pay-as-you-go | Usage-based | Token-based billing on top models |
The free tier gives you immediate access to both major models, which is rare among relay stations. However, expect rate limits and token caps to be restrictive — you’ll hit the 100,000 max token ceiling quickly if you’re running anything beyond short conversations or code snippets.
Models & API Compatibility
ZeroCode supports the two most requested models for Chinese developers:
- GPT-4o — OpenAI’s flagship multimodal model
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet — Anthropic’s balanced performance/cost model
The API surface follows standard OpenAI-compatible formats, so you can drop ZeroCode’s endpoint into existing codebases using the openai Python library or any HTTP client. This is the bare minimum expectation — no custom SDKs or unusual authentication flows to deal with.
China Access & Latency
ZeroCode routes requests through relay infrastructure that bypasses the Great Firewall. During testing from a Shanghai-based server, connection establishment took 1.2-2.5 seconds — noticeably slower than direct API calls from outside China. Once connected, token generation speeds were acceptable for GPT-4o (roughly 30-40 tokens/second), but Claude 3.5 Sonnet showed more variability depending on time of day.
The 94% uptime figure is concerning for anything mission-critical. That’s roughly 43 hours of downtime per month. For comparison, established relay stations like API2D or AiHubMix typically report 99%+. You can’t rely on ZeroCode for production pipelines.
Developer Experience
Setting up the relay took under five minutes: register, grab the API key, swap the base URL in your OpenAI client configuration. No VPN configuration needed. The dashboard is minimal — you get usage statistics and a key management page, nothing more.
The biggest pain point is customer support. There’s no live chat, no Discord server, and email responses took 24+ hours during testing. For a service handling API keys and billing, this lack of responsiveness is a red flag.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zero upfront cost — free tier for evaluation
- Direct access to GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet without VPN
- Standard OpenAI-compatible API — minimal integration effort
- Active development with visible feature updates
Cons
- 94% uptime is unreliable for production use
- Very limited customer support channels
- New platform with no long-term reliability track record
- 100,000 max token context — insufficient for large document analysis or long codebases
Verdict
ZeroCode works as a testing and evaluation tool for developers who want to compare GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet without paying upfront. The free tier is genuinely useful for prototyping, and the API compatibility makes integration painless.
However, don’t deploy anything production-critical on ZeroCode. The 94% uptime and minimal support mean you’re gambling with reliability. Use it to validate your use case, then migrate to a more established relay station for actual workloads. If your budget is truly zero and you’re just experimenting, ZeroCode gets the job done — but set your expectations accordingly.
FAQ
Q: Can I use ZeroCode from behind the Great Firewall without a VPN? A: Yes. ZeroCode’s relay infrastructure routes requests through servers accessible from mainland China. No VPN or proxy configuration is needed — just use the provided API endpoint and key.
Q: What happens when I hit the 100,000 max token limit? A: The API will return a context length exceeded error. You’ll need to truncate your input or split requests into smaller chunks. There’s no automatic context window management or sliding window support.
Q: Is ZeroCode suitable for a production chatbot serving Chinese users? A: Not recommended. The 94% uptime means ~43 hours of downtime monthly, and customer support response times are 24+ hours. For production, use a relay with 99%+ uptime and real-time support channels.
Pricing breakdown
ZeroCode 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 ZeroCode?
Budget testing alongside established stations