Claude API Relay Providers 2026: Mainland Access, Pricing & Setup Guide

Why you need a Claude API relay

Anthropic's restrictions on mainland China users are hard restrictions: registration requires an overseas phone number, payment only accepts overseas cards like Visa/Mastercard, and directly accessing api.anthropic.com from a mainland IP typically returns a 403 or times out. Even if you register successfully through a proxy, switching IPs frequently or triggering unusual usage patterns can get your account suspended, and any remaining balance can be lost.

A Claude API relay solves these three problems by bulk-purchasing official account credit, running mainland direct-connect nodes, and exposing an endpoint compatible with the Anthropic SDK protocol — you just swap the base_url and API key, with almost no other code changes required. For users of Claude Code, Cursor, and other tools built on the Anthropic API, finding a reliable Claude API relay is the lowest-friction way around the official access barriers.

Leading Claude-compatible relays in 2026

The data below comes from EggStriker.AI editorial testing and publicly available information, ranked by composite rating. Verified 2026-06-23.

Setup guide (using Claude Code as an example)

Most Claude API relays are compatible with the official Anthropic SDK protocol, so connecting one is straightforward: point your API requests at the relay's domain instead of the official one, and use the relay's API key. For Claude Code, that just means setting two environment variables in your terminal:

# Replace with the base_url of the relay you chose (usually ends in /v1)
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://your-relay-domain/v1"

# Replace with the API key generated in your relay's dashboard
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

After setting these, restart Claude Code and run claude --version to confirm it starts correctly, then send a simple test request (like "Hi, which Claude version are you?") to verify the model responds as expected. If your relay's dashboard shows call logs, you can also confirm the request actually hit the model version you specified (e.g. claude-sonnet-4-6, not a cheaper older version).

For Cursor, Cline, and similar tools, the process is similar: look for a "Custom API Base" or "Anthropic Base URL" option in the plugin settings, enter your relay's domain, and swap the API key. Exact field names vary by tool version, but you'll typically find them under the AI provider configuration page.

If your code calls the Anthropic Python/Node.js SDK directly, just pass the base_url parameter during initialization:

# Python SDK example
import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    api_key="sk-your-relay-key",
    base_url="https://your-relay-domain/v1"
)

message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-6-20251101",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Claude"}]
)

Risks to know before you commit

Using a Claude API relay comes with a few risks worth knowing up front:

• Model downgrade/substitution risk: some providers may swap in an older Claude version (like claude-2) in place of the advertised Opus/Sonnet — the model field in the response will reveal the actual version, so we'd recommend checking it right after connecting.
• Shutdown risk: small, individually-run relays tend to have poor operational stability — we'd recommend prioritizing platforms with a registered company behind them and over a year of community track record, and keeping your first top-up under ¥50 to verify before committing more.
• The "too cheap to be real" trap: Claude Sonnet 4.6's official price runs about $3 per million input tokens — if a relay's price is dramatically lower than that, be wary of model substitution or unstable service quality.
• Data security: requests through a relay pass through a third-party server. We'd recommend keeping sensitive data (like proprietary code or internal documents) to test scenarios until you've evaluated the relay for production use.

A good rule of thumb for picking a relay: prioritize mainland direct connect + verifiable community reputation + support for a small initial top-up, and only compare pricing once all three are satisfied.