OpenRouter
No subscription: model prices at cost plus a 5.5% fee on credit purchases; 25+ free models
One API and one bill for 500+ AI models from 80+ providers, so you can switch or compare models without opening new accounts
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.
Pros
- 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
- 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
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