# Anthropic vs Infron

> Anthropic sells Claude directly. Infron offers Claude next to GPT, Gemini and 400+ open models through one OpenAI-compatible API.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/anthropic-vs-infron · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

## How they compare

Anthropic's API is the direct source for Claude Fable 5.1, Opus, Sonnet and Haiku, with 1M context and no surcharge past 200K tokens. Infron is a gateway: one OpenAI-compatible API in front of 400+ models from 100+ providers, at provider rates plus a 3% to 5% fee on credit top-ups, with fallbacks, region pinning and a 99.9% uptime SLA on dedicated throughput.

Direct access gets new Claude features first with no added fee. Infron makes sense when Claude is one of several models in a product: a single key, unified billing, automatic failover and region pinning, at Claude's list price plus the top-up fee, or less with enterprise discounts.

## What each one does

### Anthropic

Anthropic sells the Claude family of closed models through its own API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI and Microsoft Foundry. The public lineup today runs from Claude Fable 5.1 at the top, released September 1, 2026, through the Opus and Sonnet tiers down to Haiku 4.5. List prices span a tenfold range, from $10 in and $50 out on Fable to $1 in and $5 out on Haiku. The top three tiers include a 1M token context window at standard pricing with no surcharge past 200K.

### Infron

Infron is a US-based AI gateway and inference platform. One OpenAI-compatible API reaches 400+ models from 100+ providers, including DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini and GPT through what Infron calls official partner routes, plus media and search models. Teams set provider preferences and fallbacks, see usage and billing in one place, and can bring their own provider keys at no fee. Lawrence Xu is CEO and co-founder Andrew Zheng is CTO.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Anthropic for

- First access to new Claude features
- No gateway fee or extra hop
- Native Anthropic SDK features

### Choose Infron for

- Closed and open models on one key and one bill
- Automatic failover across providers
- Region pinning across Asia, Europe and the US

## At a glance

| Attribute | Anthropic | Infron |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Closed | Closed and open, 400+ models |
| Flagship models | Claude Fable 5.1, Opus, Sonnet, Haiku 4.5 | DeepSeek, Qwen, Claude, Gemini, GPT |
| Speed | Fable is the slowest tier | - |
| Price | $1–$10 in, $5–$50 out per 1M | Provider rates; 3–5% top-up fee |
| Customization | N/A | Custom deployments |
| Deployment | API, Bedrock, Vertex AI, Microsoft Foundry | Gateway API, dedicated, BYOK |
| Long context | 1M, no surcharge past 200K | Varies by model |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Anthropic and Infron?

Anthropic sells Claude directly. Infron offers Claude next to GPT, Gemini and 400+ open models through one OpenAI-compatible API.

### When should I choose Anthropic over Infron?

First access to new Claude features; No gateway fee or extra hop; Native Anthropic SDK features.

### When should I choose Infron over Anthropic?

Closed and open models on one key and one bill; Automatic failover across providers; Region pinning across Asia, Europe and the US.

### Is Anthropic or Infron cheaper?

Anthropic: $1–$10 in, $5–$50 out per 1M. Infron: Provider rates; 3–5% top-up fee. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, Anthropic or Infron?

Anthropic: 1M, no surcharge past 200K. Infron: Varies by model.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs Anthropic](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-anthropic.md), [Subconscious vs Infron](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-infron.md).

Full profiles: [Anthropic](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/anthropic.md), [Infron](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/infron.md).