# Grok API in China — no VPN, no foreign card

> Markdown mirror of https://router.one/grok-api-china for AI assistants and crawlers. Router One is an OpenAI-compatible LLM API gateway.
> Last updated: 2026-08-12

xAI's Grok API is not reachable from Mainland China: the endpoints are blocked and billing requires a foreign card. Router One puts Grok chat models behind its China-reachable, OpenAI-compatible endpoint — same key that reaches GPT, Claude, and Gemini, with a cost trace per request.

## Direct access, no VPN

Grok models answer through the OpenAI-compatible endpoint at https://api.router.one/v1. Review the published benchmark below before relying on any point-in-time network result.

## Token pricing with a ledger

Grok chat models are metered per token at posted rates — up to 90% off official prices on select models. Every request logs its model, tokens, latency, and cost in the dashboard.

## Pay in RMB

Top up with a card or Alipay through one hosted checkout, or with USDT/USDC on six chains. Metered per token, pay-as-you-go — no xAI account, no foreign card.

## Review the China latency benchmark

This setup guide does not make a separate latency promise. The published snapshot, last updated 2026-05-15, covers Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen on China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile in a rolling 7-day window. It is not an SLA, and individual networks may vary; review the full method and caveats before judging fit for your workload.

## Grok chat models in the catalog

The lineup follows the live catalog — current per-token rates are on the models page.

| Model ID | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| grok-4.5 | Flagship Grok chat model — 500k context, vision and tool calling |
| grok-4.20-0309-non-reasoning | Non-reasoning tier — 1M context for high-volume chat workloads |

## Grok video and images on the same key

Grok Video generates 10- and 15-second clips at a flat per-video unit price posted in the live catalog; the API is asynchronous — submit a task, then poll it.

Grok Imagine generates images at a flat per-image unit price, served at the standard images endpoint with the same key and wallet.

## 3-step setup

Any OpenAI-compatible client works — set the base URL, pick a Grok model ID from the catalog, and call.

### Create a Router One API key

Sign up at router.one and create an API key in the dashboard. Top up with a card or Alipay on the hosted checkout, or with USDT/USDC — no foreign credit card required.

### Point your client at the gateway

Set the base URL to https://api.router.one/v1 in the OpenAI SDK or any compatible tool, and use a Grok model ID copied from the /models page.

### Send a request and verify

Make a chat completion call, then open Dashboard → Logs to see the trace: model, tokens, latency, and cost for the request.

`grok-via-router-one.sh`

```bash
# Grok via the OpenAI-compatible endpoint
curl -X POST https://api.router.one/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-router-one-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "<grok-model-id>",
       "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "你好"}]}'
```

- No low fixed cap for normal paid usage. Abuse prevention, per-account protection limits, and upstream constraints may still apply; if a request returns 429, check Dashboard -> Logs or contact support to raise limits.

## FAQ

### Why can't I call the Grok API directly from China?

xAI's API endpoints are blocked for Mainland China network space, and billing requires a foreign card. A VPN adds latency and instability; a China-reachable gateway avoids both.

### Which Grok models are available?

The chat lineup currently spans grok-4.5 and grok-4.20-0309-non-reasoning. The catalog updates as models ship or retire, so treat /models as the source of truth for the live lineup, per-token rates, context windows, and capability tags.

### Do I use xAI's SDK?

No — you call Grok models through the OpenAI-compatible interface: the official OpenAI SDK, curl, or any compatible client. Vision input on grok-4.5 works via standard image_url content parts.

### How does pricing compare to official rates?

Grok chat models are billed per token at posted rates, up to 90% off official prices on select models — the /models page shows each model's current effective price.

### Can the same key generate Grok video and images?

Yes — Grok Video is unit-priced per video and Grok Imagine per image, both on the same key and wallet. See the Veo API in China page for video and the image generation API page for images.

## See also

- Veo API in China (video generation): https://router.one/veo-api-china
- Image generation API: https://router.one/image-generation-api
- Canonical page: https://router.one/grok-api-china
- Models and per-model token rates: https://router.one/models (markdown: https://router.one/models.md)
- Pricing: https://router.one/pricing
- API docs (markdown): https://router.one/docs.md
- Company facts: https://router.one/facts/company.md