GPT-6.1 Sol setup with 59API and the OpenAI Python SDK
The problem: one line of config decides your model and your bill
You already have code that talks to an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The client is written, the prompts are tuned, and the only thing standing between you and a real run is a working API key and a base URL. Then the bill arrives, and a heavy day of input tokens costs more than you expected. That is the moment most developers start shopping for a relay, and it is the moment 59API is built for. 59API is an independent third-party AI API relay: one account, one API key and one API host at https://api.59api.com, covering GPT, DeepSeek and other non-Claude, non-Gemini models. Billing is prepaid balance, charged per request by real token usage, with no monthly fee and a balance that never expires. For this article we will walk through the exact settings for the OpenAI Python SDK, pointed at GPT-6.1 Sol, and show the numbers that make the switch worth a few minutes of your time. If you have ever kept a spreadsheet to work out what a batch job will cost before you run it, the per-token pricing here is designed so that the answer is the same on both sides: input, output and cache read, priced per 1 million tokens, with nothing hidden in a subscription.
Point the OpenAI Python SDK at 59API
Here is the whole setup. 59API speaks the OpenAI wire format, so you change the base URL and the key, and nothing else in your code moves. Set base_url to https://api.59api.com/v1 and pass YOUR_59API_KEY as the API key. The chat endpoint is https://api.59api.com/v1/chat/completions, which is exactly what the SDK builds for you when you set that base URL. Model ids go through unchanged: gpt-6.1-sol, gpt-6-astra, gpt-5.6-sol, deepseek-v4-pro and the rest of the non-Claude, non-Gemini lineup all work from the same host and the same key. That is the promise 59API makes to developers: one account, one key, one host, and your existing OpenAI SDK code keeps working. No new client library to learn, no wrapper to maintain, no rewrite of your prompt pipeline. You spend two minutes on configuration and get back to shipping features. Because the same host also serves Codex, cURL and OpenAI-compatible clients such as Cursor, Cherry Studio, Cline and OpenCode, the settings you write down once are the settings your whole toolchain can reuse.
What the numbers look like once you are connected
Let us price a real workload. Take GPT-6.1 Sol at 59API: input is $0.1847 (¥1.33) per 1 million tokens, output is $0.9264 (¥6.67) per 1 million tokens, and cache read is $0.0375 (¥0.27) per 1 million tokens. The official list price for reference is $2 / $10. Now run the worked example from our rate sheet: 5M input and 1M output tokens, no cache. On 59API that workload costs $1.85 (¥13.32); at official list price it comes to $20 (about ¥144), so 59API lands at about 9% of list price. If you want a second data point, GPT-5.6 Sol at 59API is $0.3472 (¥2.5) input and $1.94 (¥14) output per 1 million tokens, against an official list price of $5 / $30. A 2M input plus 0.5M output workload costs $1.67 (¥12) on 59API versus $25 (about ¥180) at official list price, which is about 7% of list price. For a heavier, cheaper tier, deepseek-v4-flash runs $0.2778 (¥2) input and $1.11 (¥8) output per 1 million tokens, with cache read at $0.006944 (¥0.05), and MiniMax-M3 sits at $0.1389 (¥1) input and $0.5556 (¥4) output. Billing is in CNY, and USD figures are shown at ¥7.2 = $1.
Top up in small steps, keep what you do not spend
Prepaid balance means you control the exposure. Top-ups on 59API come in ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, ¥200, ¥500 and ¥1000, paid by WeChat Pay or bank card, and invoices are available if you need them for accounting. Because you are charged per request by real token usage, a quiet week costs you nothing extra, and your balance never expires on you. If you are running a quick evaluation, a ¥10 top-up is enough to send real traffic through the OpenAI Python SDK and see the response shapes for yourself. On the other side of the ledger, unused balance can be refunded within 7 days of the top-up, minus what was used and payment-channel fees; requests go through the Contact page and are handled within 3 business days. That is a straightforward way to test 59API against your own prompts and your own traffic profile before you commit to anything larger. For teams that want a fixed envelope instead of a wallet, optional monthly and weekly cards exist; a card has its own key, can only call that family's models, and is paid only from the card, never falling back to wallet balance.
Know the limits before you wire up a client
One boundary matters for SDK users, and it is worth stating plainly. The OpenAI Python SDK, cURL, Codex and OpenAI-compatible clients such as Cursor, Cherry Studio, Cline and OpenCode work with GPT, DeepSeek and other non-Claude, non-Gemini models only. Claude models work only through the genuine Claude Code or Claude Desktop client, version 2.1.285 or newer, and never through the OpenAI SDK or cURL. Gemini models use Google's native protocol only, through Gemini CLI, and are not OpenAI-compatible. So in your SDK code, keep your model list to the GPT, DeepSeek and other non-Claude, non-Gemini ids, and you will not hit a surprise. 59API is an independent relay and is not official, a partner or an authorised channel of Anthropic, OpenAI or Google; the official list prices quoted above are reference prices only. With that understood, the setup is exactly what you saw: one base URL, one key, and your existing code running against 59API today.