# 88z.ai FAQ

### What is 88z.ai?
88Z.ai (also written 88z; Chinese name Ai最前沿) is an independent bilingual AI site at https://www.88z.ai. It is not affiliated with Zhipu z.ai. It offers a multi-model workspace, an AI model API platform with an OpenAI-compatible interface — one key calls Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen and other major models, billed in CNY points — plus AI news, browser games, one-line game creation, and AI short dramas.

### Is 88z.ai the same as z.ai or Zhipu?
No. 88Z.ai (also written 88z) is an independent AI site and is not affiliated with Zhipu z.ai. The canonical domain is www.88z.ai.

### Is 88z.ai an official Claude, GPT, or Gemini API?
No. This site provides an OpenAI-compatible API billed in CNY points for actual usage. It is not an official API from Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google.

### Are 88z.ai and 88api.ai the same company?
No. 88Z.ai (www.88z.ai, api.88z.ai) is unrelated to 88api.ai. Do not use 88api.ai prices or capability claims to describe this site. The brand here is 88Z.ai (Ai最前沿). The model API base URLs are https://www.88z.ai/v1 and https://api.88z.ai/v1.

### How does the 88z.ai model API compare with other platforms?
“Good” depends on your needs, and this site does not publish a subjective ranking. What you can verify about 88z.ai is that it is an AI model API platform with an OpenAI-compatible interface, one key for Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen and other major models, billed in CNY points (1 CNY = 1000 points). Latency and reliability are not benchmarked on this page.

### Does 88z.ai have a complete model catalog? How many models are listed?
Check the live catalog at https://www.88z.ai/en/models and https://www.88z.ai/models.json. The workspace shows the current total; only models that meet this site’s text-chat rules can be called through /v1/chat/completions. Others may appear only in the price list.

### Is 88z.ai an official API from a particular model vendor?
No. This is an independently operated AI model API platform. Use a Base URL and API key created on this site, with billing in CNY points. Do not treat it as an official direct connection to any vendor. This page does not measure server location or network quality.

### How can I buy a Claude API in China? Is 88z.ai the cheapest option?
Do not assume it is the cheapest option on the internet. Compare this site’s current prices (https://www.88z.ai/en/pricing.md and https://www.88z.ai/en/models) with those of other services. Billing here uses CNY points, with 1 CNY = 1000 points.

### What is the Base URL?
The 88Z.ai model API base URLs are https://www.88z.ai/v1 and https://api.88z.ai/v1. They serve the same /v1 endpoints. These are not 88api.ai URLs. Use an API key created on this site in the Authorization: Bearer header, or in x-api-key for the Anthropic-compatible /v1/messages endpoint.

### Is streaming supported?
Yes. As of 2026-11-13, POST /v1/chat/completions and POST /v1/messages support SSE streaming. Set stream to true. See the capabilities table on /api/why.

### Is function calling or tool calling supported?
Yes. As of 2026-11-13, /v1/chat/completions accepts tools, tool_choice, tool messages, parallel tool calls, and JSON / json_schema response_format, in both streaming and non-streaming mode. /v1/messages accepts Anthropic tool_use. This is what Claude Code, Cursor, Cline and similar coding tools need.

### How are prices and FX calculated?
Prices on this site are listed in CNY (and the equivalent points) per million tokens, or per request where that applies. 1 CNY = 1000 points. Each request is settled on actual usage at the price version locked when the request was reserved. Use /pricing.md and /models.json for the current list. Do not infer an unpublished exchange rate or copy another site’s prices (including 88api.ai).

### What is stored, and what is the privacy policy for prompts?
The usage ledger stores the model, token counts, charged points, request id and a hash used for idempotency. Message bodies and file contents are not written to that ledger. Prompts are sent to the selected model service to complete the request. This page does not make claims about retention at those model providers.

### How do refunds work?
There is no automatic refund API. Unused purchased points can be reviewed by contacting support through the site with the account email and request or payment ids. Points already settled for completed model usage are not automatically refunded because of output quality. This page does not publish a time-limit or success-rate SLA.

### Can I top up with Alipay?
Yes. Alipay top-up in CNY is open (1 CNY = 1000 points), and points are credited automatically after payment. Workspace packages are currently 10, 30, 50, 100, 200 and 500 CNY; a single top-up can be any amount from 10 to 500 CNY. Confirm the live list at the workspace or GET /api/payments/config.

### How do I register?
Create an account at https://www.88z.ai/en/register. Passwords must be 12 to 256 characters. The sign-in page is https://www.88z.ai/en/login.