How to choose an AI API aggregator
An aggregator is fewer accounts and fewer keys. It is not an automatic discount. One model, or a contract that has to be with the lab, usually stays on the official API. These four steps use the comparison and the verification status this site already publishes. They do not invent a new fee, and they do not mark Ofox verified.
Four steps, in order
1 · Count models, not slogans
One model for the long run: stay with the lab. An enterprise discount may be better there. Switching among GPT, Claude, and Gemini is the case for putting an aggregator on the list. Convenience has to match your own call list, not a homepage model count.
2 · Write down the protocol
Your own OpenAI SDK app, Codex, Claude Code, and Cursor do not speak one API. Ofox docs list an OpenAI-compatible surface (Chat Completions / Responses), Anthropic Messages, and Gemini generateContent. A model card has to show the endpoint you need. We have not certified your client.
3 · Split Cursor’s features off the list
Ofox’s note from 2026-10-16 says a direct Cursor connection is not suitable. Tab, Background Agent, and Auto do not follow a custom provider. Picking an aggregator does not remove that limit. Detail: Cursor or Codex will not take a third-party API.
4 · Read the bill and the paperwork before you add credit
The comparison records public claims as read on 2026-10-29. Ofox says billing follows provider list price with a 0% platform fee, and it describes credit tiers. OpenRouter’s pricing page showed a different platform-fee schedule. Those are their pages, not invoices we audited. If the DPA, residency, or the invoice must be with the lab, get the document first.
Where to go after you decide
| What you already know | Next page |
|---|---|
| You want the three public write-ups side by side | Official API, Ofox, OpenRouter |
| You want to enter rates and price your own volume | API pricing. Empty rate fields do not produce a savings number. |
| You want the smoke test and the clients | Verification. Codex CLI and Claude Code are still unverified. |
| You want setup notes before a top-up | Setup guides |
| You ship a product and want an optional provider | Developer integration and OAuth rules (Chinese only; there is no English twin) |
Chat-plan country samples are a different question: ChatGPT Plus · Claude Pro. Do not use a membership fee as an API rate.
If Ofox is still on the list
Open their catalog and check the model id, the endpoint, and the rate you are shown before you choose an amount. This site’s unauthenticated observation from 2026-10-29 is ofox-public-prices.json: a text rate is listed only when that response had one. anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 did not. A name on a marketing page is not a price in that file.
Disclosure: this is an Ofox affiliate / referral link. Qualifying signups or spend may earn JXZNE a commission. Prices, credits, and compatibility follow Ofox’s current page. If the extra $3 on a referred first top-up is still offered, Ofox pays it. This site does not.
Questions
Is an aggregator always cheaper than the official API?
No. Ofox’s own claim is provider list price and a 0% platform fee. The lab can still offer a contract discount. This site has not audited your invoice, so it does not say “cheaper.”
Can OpenRouter’s platform fee be copied onto Ofox?
No. The comparison page records the tiers on OpenRouter’s pricing page as their published schedule, with the date it was read. Read each fee on its own page.
Will Cursor Agent follow once I pick an aggregator?
Ofox says it will not. Tab, Background Agent, and Auto do not follow a custom provider. A different aggregator does not add those Cursor features back.