RelayPlane vs CrazyRouter: Local Proxy vs Cloud Gateway
CrazyRouter is a managed cloud gateway with account signup, pay-as-you-go billing, and 627+ models. RelayPlane installs in 30 seconds, runs on your machine, and never sends your data to a third-party cloud. If you want cost intelligence without a cloud dependency, RelayPlane is the local-first alternative.
TL;DR
Choose RelayPlane when you want:
- No account, no signup, no cloud in the request path
- Prompts and cost data that stay on your machine only
- MIT open source with no vendor dependency
- Complexity routing that automatically cuts spend per request
Choose CrazyRouter when you need:
- Access to 627+ models including Asian-market providers
- A fully managed solution with no binary to install or maintain
- Global edge nodes for low-latency routing in Asia-Pacific
Feature Comparison
| Feature | RelayPlane | CrazyRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Product focus RelayPlane runs on your machine and routes every request to the cheapest model that can handle the task, logging costs locally to SQLite. CrazyRouter is a managed cloud gateway: sign up, get an API key, and all your traffic passes through their infrastructure. | Cost intelligence + complexity routing | Managed cloud API gateway |
| Install method RelayPlane is a single npm install with no account required. CrazyRouter requires creating an account and issuing an API key before any request can be proxied through their cloud. | npm install -g @relayplane/proxy | Account signup + API key |
| Data privacy RelayPlane logs every request to local SQLite only. No request payload, prompt, or response leaves your machine except to the model provider directly. CrazyRouter is a cloud intermediary, meaning your prompts and responses pass through their infrastructure. | All data stays on device (SQLite) | Requests route through CrazyRouter cloud |
| No account required RelayPlane works entirely without an account. CrazyRouter requires registration and an API key before routing any requests. | ||
| npm-native package RelayPlane ships as an npm package that installs globally in seconds. CrazyRouter has no npm package: it is a cloud service you connect to via an API key. | ||
| Per-request cost tracking RelayPlane logs the exact token count and dollar cost of every request to local SQLite. CrazyRouter provides a cloud dashboard for usage, but your cost data lives on their servers rather than yours. | SQLite per-request log (on-device) | Cloud usage dashboard |
| Complexity-based routing RelayPlane automatically routes simple tasks to cheaper models like Haiku and complex tasks to Opus based on request complexity. CrazyRouter routes based on model selection and availability, not task complexity or cost optimization. | ||
| Budget caps and spend controls RelayPlane enforces configurable budget caps that stop requests before you overspend. CrazyRouter gives you a $0.20 free credit on signup and pay-as-you-go billing, but hard per-session or per-day caps that halt execution are not a core feature. | Credit balance only | |
| Works with Claude Code and Cursor Both tools expose an OpenAI-compatible API. CrazyRouter also supports the Anthropic SDK format natively, so you can point either IDE at either proxy with a baseURL swap. | ||
| Open source RelayPlane is MIT licensed and fully open source. CrazyRouter is a proprietary managed service with no open-source offering. | MIT | |
| Pricing RelayPlane is free and self-hosted with no usage caps. CrazyRouter uses pay-as-you-go pricing at or near provider rates, with $0.20 free credit on signup and no required monthly subscription. | Free (MIT) | Pay-as-you-go (no monthly fee) |
| Model coverage CrazyRouter aggregates 627+ models including regional providers like ByteDance and Alibaba that are not available on OpenRouter. RelayPlane focuses on routing to the cost-optimal model among the major providers used by most developers. | Major providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google) | 627+ models, 102 families |
| Vendor lock-in RelayPlane is MIT open source and runs on your own machine. CrazyRouter requires maintaining an account. If CrazyRouter changes pricing or experiences downtime, your routing setup is affected. | None (MIT, self-hosted) | Account and cloud dependency |
| Local cost dashboard RelayPlane provides a local cost dashboard at localhost:4100 showing per-request spending, model distribution, and token usage. CrazyRouter offers a cloud dashboard, but the data lives on their servers. | localhost:4100 (on-device) | Cloud dashboard only |
Why Developers Choose RelayPlane Over CrazyRouter
30-second setup with no account
CrazyRouter requires creating an account, verifying your identity, and configuring an API key before your first proxied request. RelayPlane is one npm install. Run npm install -g @relayplane/proxy, then relayplane start, and your proxy is live on localhost:4100. No signup form, no payment method, no email confirmation. For developers who want to start tracking costs today, the difference is felt immediately.
Your prompts never leave your machine
CrazyRouter is a cloud intermediary. Every request you proxy through CrazyRouter passes through their infrastructure before reaching the model provider. That means your prompts, responses, and usage patterns are stored on their servers, subject to their data policies, and dependent on their uptime. RelayPlane runs locally. Every request goes directly from your machine to the model provider, and every cost log is written to local SQLite. No third-party cloud in the path.
MIT open source with no account to manage
CrazyRouter is a proprietary managed service. If their pricing changes, their servers experience downtime, or the company pivots, your routing configuration is affected. RelayPlane is MIT licensed and self-hosted. The code runs on your machine and does not depend on any external service staying alive or affordable. There is no API key to rotate, no credit balance to top up, and no vendor relationship to manage.
Cost intelligence, not just model aggregation
CrazyRouter focuses on breadth: 627+ models across 102 families, global edge nodes, and multiple API formats. That solves a real problem when you need access to regional providers or want a single endpoint for many models. RelayPlane solves a different problem: it routes every request to the cheapest model that can handle the task. When Claude Code fires 50 requests, RelayPlane routes the simple ones to Haiku and the complex ones to Opus automatically. The result is lower spend on the same workload, tracked to the cent in local SQLite.
CrazyRouter Solves Model Breadth. RelayPlane Solves Local Cost Intelligence.
CrazyRouter is a well-built managed gateway for developers who want a single API key to access hundreds of models without managing infrastructure. Its strengths are model breadth (627+ models including ByteDance, Alibaba, and xAI providers), global edge nodes across 7 regions, and support for both the OpenAI and Anthropic SDK formats. For indie developers and small teams who want to iterate quickly without DevOps overhead, it covers that use case.
But CrazyRouter is a cloud service with account and signup requirements. Your prompts pass through their infrastructure, your cost data lives on their servers, and your routing depends on their uptime and pricing. RelayPlane sits in the same place in your request path but runs locally: one npm install, no account, all data in local SQLite. For developers who want cost intelligence without a cloud intermediary, RelayPlane is the alternative with zero vendor dependency.
Get Running in 30 Seconds
No account. No API key to manage. No cloud dependency. Just npm: