The latest articles on DEV Community by KuaiAI (@kuaiai). https://dev.to/kuaiai https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4219471%2F940d309d-0dfe-4b15-8746-1b7a5b06b18b.png https://dev.to/kuaiai en KuaiAI Sat, 31 Oct 2026 19:01:02 +0000 https://dev.to/kuaiai/how-i-check-live-request-for-image-apis-2053 https://dev.to/kuaiai/how-i-check-live-request-for-image-apis-2053 <p>When I compare image-generation API relays, the first thing I look for is a <strong>live unit price I can see before I top up</strong> — not a vague “contact sales” page.</p> <h2> What I check </h2> <ol> <li><p><strong>Per-request / per-image pricing on the pricing page</strong><br><br> If I can’t see <code>$</code> or <code>¥</code> for the model I care about, I bounce.</p></li> <li><p><strong>Whether the popular image models are listed with a real number</strong><br><br> Example: some OpenAI-compatible relays show <strong>gpt-image-class models around ¥0.01 per call</strong> (verify on their pricing table — prices move).</p></li> <li><p><strong>Client compatibility</strong><br><br> I prefer relays that work with <strong>Cherry Studio</strong> (and other OpenAI-compatible clients) so I don’t rewrite my workflow.</p></li> <li><p><strong>Low friction to try for real</strong><br><br> I don’t trust “free forever” promo codes. A <strong>¥1 minimum top-up</strong> after register is enough to run a real smoke test.</p></li> </ol> <h2> One place that passed this checklist for me </h2> <p>I recently tried <a href="https://kuaiai.69069.xyz" rel="noopener noreferrer">KuaiAI</a> — an API relay focused on stable, low-cost image (and language) models. Pricing is listed on the site; Cherry Studio style OpenAI-compatible setup works; minimum recharge is ¥1. There’s no free-credit white-glove trial — you pay a tiny amount and verify yourself.</p> <p>I’m not affiliated beyond being a user shopping for cheaper image API calls. If you have a better public pricing page for image APIs, drop it in the comments.</p> <h2> Quick checklist you can reuse </h2> <ul> <li>[ ] Unit price visible without login wall</li> <li>[ ] Image model line items (not only chat LLMs)</li> <li>[ ] Works in Cherry Studio / OpenAI-compatible base URL + key</li> <li>[ ] Tiny paid trial (¥1) instead of “DM for quota”</li> </ul> <p>Link again: <a href="https://kuaiai.69069.xyz" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://kuaiai.69069.xyz</a></p> ai api openai productivity