Quick Start

1. Create an account

Sign up at cheapestinference.com/register. You can use email/password, Google, or GitHub.

2. Get access

You have two options:

• Subscribe — Go to Billing and choose Standard ($20/mo) or Pro ($60/mo). Pay with card or USDC.
• Credits — Top up starting at $5 for pay-as-you-go access. No subscription required. Learn more

3. Create an API key

Go to API Keys and click Create Key. Choose a name and plan tier (Standard or Pro).

Caution

Copy your API key immediately after creation. You won’t be able to see it again.

4. Make a request

cURL

curl https://api.cheapestinference.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4o-mini",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
  }'

Python (OpenAI SDK)

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
    base_url="https://api.cheapestinference.com/v1"
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

Node.js (OpenAI SDK)

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: "YOUR_API_KEY",
  baseURL: "https://api.cheapestinference.com/v1",
});

const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
  model: "gpt-4o-mini",
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});
console.log(response.choices[0].message.content);

Python (Anthropic SDK)

from anthropic import Anthropic

client = Anthropic(
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
    base_url="https://api.cheapestinference.com/anthropic"
)

message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)
print(message.content[0].text)

What’s next

• Authentication — API key management and error codes
• Models — See all available models
• Chat Completions — Full endpoint reference
• Streaming — Real-time responses with SSE