AIGROW vs the Anthropic API
Anthropic sells its Claude models through its own API at list price, with 50% off batch requests that can wait. AIGROW sells discounted credit that runs Claude Opus, Fable and Sonnet through one endpoint, which the Anthropic SDK and Claude Code reach with a new base URL and key.
Every model both sell costs less per token through AIGROW credit than at Anthropic, on input and on output.
- Less through AIGROW credit
- 4 of 4
- Anthropic prices read
- 12 November 2026
- Model check
- 11 November 2026
- Sponsored placement
- none
Nothing on this page is paid for by anyone.
Price per model: Anthropic and AIGROW credit
USD per million tokens, input on the first line and output on the second. The difference is rounded so it never overstates a saving.
| Model | Anthropic | AIGROW credit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 5.5 | $4.00$20.00 | $1.60$8.00 | 60% less60% less |
| Claude Fable 5.2 | $8.00$40.00 | $3.20$16.00 | 60% less60% less |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | $10.00$50.00 | $4.00$20.00 | 60% less60% less |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $2.00$10.00 | $0.80$4.00 | 60% less60% less |
Anthropic’s prices as published on 12 November 2026, each linked from its row. AIGROW’s are the rates the endpoint bills with, at the price credit sells for. Prices change, so check theirs before you decide.
Anthropic’s Batch API takes 50% off these prices for requests that do not need an answer at once. AIGROW has no batch rate.
Fees and terms
What each one charges beyond the tokens, and what happens to credit you have not spent.
Anthropic’s terms as published on the pages below, read on 12 November 2026. AIGROW’s are from our Terms of Service.
Is the model the one you paid for?
How each side shows that the model answering is the one it sells.
- Anthropic
- Anthropic makes Claude, so its API serves Claude itself. Our check uses Anthropic’s API as the reference for every Claude model we sell.
- Certified genuine by AIGROW
- On 11 November 2026 we sent each model we sell the same prompts as the same model at its maker or through OpenRouter, and compared the answers, the prompt tokens and the tool calls. 4 of the 4 models on this page met our rule. This is AIGROW’s own check: no model maker reviewed or endorsed it. See every result and the method
| Model | Here | At the maker |
|---|---|---|
| Compared with Anthropic’s API | ||
| Claude Opus 5.5 | 12 of 12 | 12 of 12 |
| Claude Fable 5.2 | 12 of 12 | 12 of 12 |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | 12 of 12 | 12 of 12 |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | 12 of 12 | 12 of 12 |
A 2026 study by the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security tested 17 unofficial APIs that claim to give access to the makers’ models, and found identity verification failures in 45.83% of its fingerprint tests. It left out routing platforms that disclose where they send requests, such as OpenRouter. Any seller below list price can be checked with the script below, AIGROW included. Read the study.
Run the check yourself
Tests AIGROW’s Claude Opus 5.5 beside the same model through Anthropic’s API, with your Anthropic key. Change the id to check another Claude model in the table.
MODEL_CHECK_KEY=ag_your_key MAKER_KEY=sk-ant-your_key node model-check.mjs claude-opus-5.5Every request is billed as usual. The battery is the costly one: a few cents of credit on most models, more when a model thinks for long. To test another seller’s API, pass its address with --base.
When Anthropic is the better choice
- Every Claude model and API feature
- Anthropic sells every Claude model and every feature of its API, from the first day. AIGROW serves the Claude models in the table above.
- Half price for batch requests
- Requests that can wait cost 50% less through Anthropic’s Batch API. AIGROW has no batch rate.
- An account with the maker
- You deal with Anthropic directly, under its own terms, and Enterprise customers can pay by invoice. AIGROW is independent of Anthropic.
Switching from Anthropic
A base URL and a key that starts with ag_, created in API access on the dashboard.
- At Anthropic today: base URL https://api.anthropic.com
- Anthropic SDK and Claude Code: base URL https://aigrow.gg
- OpenAI SDK, Cline, Aider, OpenCode: base URL https://aigrow.gg/v1
- Model ids: ours, such as claude-opus-5.5, and Anthropic’s spelling, such as claude-opus-5-5, both work.
Some lines behave differently from the maker’s endpoint, for example on max_tokens and on the starting reasoning effort: the model check lists each difference with its numbers. Codex sends Responses API requests, which this endpoint does not take.
The setup guide covers every other tool, and the Claude Code page walks through its settings one by one.
Questions about Anthropic and AIGROW
Run your own workload on both, then compare the bills.
Start with the $25 pack, run your real workload against it, and check the dashboard before buying more.
Monthly plans or one-off packs · redemption code delivered at once · usage dashboard included