Who we are
getcheapaicredits is run by the team behind smaaart, one of the services compared here. That's why every ranking is computed from prices only, from sources anyone can check, and shows smaaart in whatever position its price puts it, including last.
Where each number comes from
- smaaart: its public quote endpoint (
smaaart.io/api/market/quote), live. The quote excludes card processing and taxes, which its checkout adds: we flag it wherever it appears. - Orbio: its public quote endpoint (
orbio.so/api/market/retail/quote), live. The quote includes card processing. - OpenRouter: the credit fees published in its FAQ: 5.5% by card with a $0.80 minimum, 5% in crypto. Token prices pass through without markup.
- Direct: prepaid credits from the lab at face value.
- Model prices: OpenRouter's public model and endpoint lists, refreshed hourly.
Quotes are refreshed every 5 minutes. Taxes are excluded everywhere. If a source doesn't answer, we show it as unavailable: we never fill in a number. Fees, free tiers and programs were last checked on 2026-10-01 against the official pages linked next to them.
What the rankings don't capture
Price isn't everything: model coverage, routing options, data policy, payment methods and support differ. The side-by-side tables on each comparison list them, and the calculator prices your actual usage.