Skip the Setup Hassle: Using Claude Through a Relay Site

Signing up for Claude, paying, and keeping your network and device settings in order is a hassle for many people. You have to watch your network exit, timezone and language, and you may still worry that your account could be disabled one day.

Another option is to use Claude through an API relay site. This article explains what relay sites are, the risks involved, how to choose one, and how to use Hvoy AI's free tool to check whether a relay really serves Claude. We don't recommend any specific site here.

What a relay site is

A relay site (also called an API relay or AI gateway) is a website run by a third party. You sign up, add credit, and get an API endpoint URL and an API key. Enter them in any app that supports a custom endpoint, such as a chat client or a coding tool, and you can call Claude and other models.

• You don't need your own Claude account or to maintain your own network and device setup; the relay forwards your requests upstream.
• You usually pay by usage, and many sites express prices as a "multiplier" of official rates.
• Relay sites have nothing to do with Anthropic; each is run by its own operator.

Getting started usually takes three steps: sign up on the relay and add a small amount of credit; create an API key in the dashboard and note the endpoint URL the site gives you; then open the app you want to use, find an option such as "custom endpoint" or "API base URL" in its settings, enter both, and pick a Claude model. Names vary between apps, so check the app's own instructions.

The risks

The model may be swapped

The page says Claude, but you might actually get a cheaper model, or some of your requests may be routed to a different one. Just from the answers, it's hard for ordinary users to tell.

Prices are hard to compare

Two sites advertising the same low multiplier can differ several times over once you factor in how they convert top-ups to credit. Prices far below the market usually have a reason.

Stability

Relay sites depend on upstream channels, so when the upstream has problems, everyone downstream is affected. Some sites' upstream sources may not comply with official terms and can be cut off at any time. Small sites can also shut down or disappear.

Data and privacy

What you send passes through the relay's servers. Don't send passwords, ID numbers, company secrets or other sensitive information, and only enter your API key where you actually need it.

How to choose

1. Start with the rankings: Hvoy AI's tested AI gateway rankings keep checking each site, with filters such as refunds and invoices. The tested recommendations leaderboard lists, per model, the sites with the highest recent pass rates.
2. Look at stability: when you're coding or running long tasks, a connection that drops mid-way often costs more than a slightly higher price. Favor sites that stay online over time with little fluctuation.
3. Compare prices on the same basis: put the top-up exchange rate, multiplier, input and output prices and cache prices together, rather than looking at the multiplier alone.
4. Check the service: support response times, refunds and invoices are all worth asking about up front.
5. Start small: top up a small amount first and add more only once you're satisfied. Don't deposit a large balance at once.

For more on choosing, see How to choose a good AI relay service.

Use Hvoy AI's free check to see if it's really Claude

1. In the relay's dashboard, create an API key just for testing. If you can set a spending limit, keep it low.
2. Open the Hvoy AI homepage, enter the relay's endpoint URL and that API key under API detection, and choose the Claude model to check.
3. Complete the human verification, start the check and wait for the result.
4. The result shows a score and whether it passed. If it doesn't look right, check again at another time or try a different site.

A few notes:

• The check sends a small number of requests through the relay, so it uses a little of your balance.
• One check reflects that moment only. Relay routes change, so check again later or refer to the ongoing results in the rankings.
• Results are for reference only. They are not an audit and are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
• When you're done, delete or disable the test key in the relay's dashboard.

Final note

A relay site is another way to use Claude. It saves you from managing your setup, but you take on the relay's own risks. Please follow local laws and the terms of the services you use.

If you'd rather keep using your own official account, run the Claude Environment Check to see whether your network and device settings have obvious problems, and read Why do Claude accounts get banned?