OpenAI API vs OpenRouter
Pricing
OpenAI API: Pay per token, from $0.10 per million input tokens (GPT-6 Luna)
OpenRouter: No subscription: model prices at cost plus a 5.5% fee on credit purchases; 25+ free models
Description
OpenAI API: OpenAI's developer API for adding GPT text, image, voice and transcription models to your own product, paid per use
OpenRouter: One API and one bill for 500+ AI models from 80+ providers, so you can switch or compare models without opening new accounts
Pros
- Three GPT-6 models from $0.10 to $10 per million input tokens, so you can match the cost to the task
- The Batch API halves the price for jobs that can wait up to 24 hours
- Voice, image and transcription models in the same account, with transcription from $0.0045 a minute
- One API key reaches 500+ models from 80+ providers
- Model prices are passed through without markup; the fee is 5.5% when you buy credits ($0.80 minimum)
- Prompts and completions are not logged unless you opt in
Cons
- Billed separately from ChatGPT: a Plus or Pro subscription does not include API usage
- The top model is expensive: GPT-6 Astra costs $50 per million output tokens
- Monthly budget limits can take effect with a delay, and you pay for any usage over them
- Free models are limited to 50 requests a day until you have bought at least 10 credits, which raises the limit to 1,000
- Unused credits can only be refunded within 24 hours of purchase
- Rate limits on paid models come from each provider, so they differ from model to model
Details
The OpenAI API is how you put OpenAI’s models inside your own product: a support bot, a writing feature, image generation, voice or transcription. You pay for what you use, counted in tokens for text models and in minutes for some audio models.
There are three main text models. GPT-6 Luna ($0.10 per million input tokens, $0.50 output) is built for focused, high-volume tasks, GPT-6.1 Sol ($2 / $10) for coding and agent workflows, and GPT-6 Astra ($10 / $50) for the hardest work. These are the standard rates for prompts under 272K tokens.
Built-in tools cost extra; web search, for example, is $10 per 1,000 calls. Set a monthly budget in the billing settings early and add an email alert, because OpenAI notes that the budget limit can take effect with a delay.
OpenRouter sits between your app and the model providers. You call one API, pick a model by name, and OpenRouter sends the request to a provider that serves it. Paid accounts can also set routing preferences and use auto-routing. Switching models is a one-line change, which makes it handy for comparing models before you commit to one.
There is no subscription. You buy credits, pay a 5.5% fee on the purchase, and then pay the same per-token rate the provider charges. The free models are fine for testing, but OpenRouter itself says they are usually not suitable for production.
You can also bring your own provider keys: the first $25,000 of usage a month, at list prices, carries no OpenRouter fee, and 5% applies after that.
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