Three things decide what you pay on ZOOAPI: the plan you buy, the credits it adds, and the rate at which your API calls spend those credits. This guide explains each one, then covers the controls that keep spending predictable.
Plans add credits to your account
When a payment succeeds, the plan's credits are added to your account automatically. The credit amount is larger than the plan price. The ¥99 Codex / Grok plan (Developer starter), for example, adds ¥1,200 in credits.
Credits pay for usage inside ZOOAPI. They are not a cash balance and cannot be withdrawn.
Every current plan runs for 31 days. When you renew, the new credits and the extra validity stack on top of what you already have.
How API calls spend credits
Each request is charged according to the model you call, at the same rates as the official APIs. Larger models cost more per token than smaller ones, and output tokens usually cost more than input tokens.
The console shows each model's current multiplier, and its usage view shows how much each model has consumed. Check both before you commit a large job to one model.
Pick a plan by how you work
| If you are | Start with | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Trying ZOOAPI for the first time | Codex / Grok, ¥59 | ¥600 in credits, 1 subaccount |
| A developer who codes every day | Codex / Grok, ¥99 | ¥1,200 in credits, 1 subaccount |
| A small team | Codex / Grok, ¥198 | ¥2,800 in credits, 2 subaccounts |
| A team that wants a support group | Codex / Grok + tech support group, ¥396 | ¥6,400 in credits, 4 subaccounts |
| A larger team using Grok | Grok, ¥600 or ¥1,000 | Up to ¥20,000 in credits and 16 subaccounts |
| A company that needs dedicated accounts | Dedicated Codex / Grok, from ¥1,200 | Dedicated Pro accounts, an exclusive US IP line, and up to 32 subaccounts |
| One or two people who want Claude Team | Claude Team, from ¥2,600 | A premium seat with near-unlimited usage; the risk of account suspension applies |
| A heavy Codex user who can share | Shared Codex Pro, from ¥300 per person | Pro-level credits for each member of a group of 2 to 5 |
Prices are in CNY. The pricing page lists every plan, and the console shows the final price.
How shared plans work
Shared Codex Pro plans are sold to a group of two to five people. The price on each card is per person, and every member receives the full credits listed. The 5-person Codex 20x Pro plan, for example, costs ¥2,500 in total: ¥500 per person, with ¥12,000 in credits each.
Shared plans suit heavy Codex users who want Pro-level capacity without paying for a whole account.
Renewals, upgrades, and plan changes
- Renew the same plan to stack new credits and validity on top of your current balance.
- Upgrade online by paying the difference. The unused value of your current plan is credited toward the new one.
- Switch with care. Some plan changes reset your current subscription benefits, and the console tells you before you pay.
Cost controls that work
Give each person or project a subaccount
Plans include subaccounts, from 1 on the entry plans to 32 on the largest dedicated plan. Give each teammate or workload its own subaccount and credit allocation, so one runaway job can't drain the whole team's balance. Creating a subaccount requires a parent balance above $100 and a first top-up of at least $2 for the new subaccount.
Match the model to the task
Use a smaller model such as gpt-5.6-luna for routine edits, summaries, and classification, and save gpt-5.6-sol for hard problems. In Claude Code, ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL sets the model for lightweight tasks. In Codex, a lower model_reasoning_effort for everyday work cuts the tokens each task uses.
Plan for rate limits
Accounts and models have request and token limits per minute, hour, and day (RPM, RPH, RPD, TPM, TPH, and TPD). A 429 error means one of those windows is full. Lower concurrency, retry with exponential backoff, and spread batch jobs over time. Aggressive retries can extend a cooldown.
Keep a balance buffer
New API calls are blocked once your balance falls below $1. Keep a buffer above that, especially for automated jobs that would otherwise stop halfway.
Review usage regularly
Per-model usage in the console shows where your credits go. A weekly look catches an expensive model or a stuck loop before it uses up a plan.
Protect your keys
A leaked key spends your credits. Keep keys in environment variables or a secret manager, and never put them in repositories or client-side code. The API key setup guide shows how.
Where final prices live
This guide explains how pricing works. The console is the source of truth for available models, multipliers, inventory, and final prices, so check it before you buy.
ZOOAPI is an independent service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI, Anthropic, or xAI.