# OpenRouter > One API and one bill for hundreds of AI models across many providers - Category: [Developer Tools](https://finderatlas.com/categories/developer-tools) - Pricing: Freemium - Website: https://openrouter.ai - Platforms: Web, API - API: available - Made by: OpenRouter, Inc., founded 2023 - Rating: 4.5/5 from 2 user reviews - Last updated: 2026-11-08 - FinderAtlas page: https://finderatlas.com/tools/openrouter ## Overview OpenRouter is a unified API and marketplace that gives developers access to hundreds of large language models from many providers through a single endpoint, a single API key and a single bill. Its chat endpoint follows the OpenAI request format, so code written for OpenAI SDKs can usually be pointed at OpenRouter by changing the base URL and model name. The company describes the catalogue as 500+ models from 80+ providers, including text, image, video, speech-to-text and text-to-speech models. ## Key features - Unified API - Automatic Fallbacks - Auto-Routing and Provider Controls - Free Models - Prompt Caching - Bring Your Own Key - Multimodal Models - Rankings and Benchmarks - Regional Routing and Private Endpoints - Hosted MCP Server ## Pricing - **Free** ($0): Testing with free models - **Standard** (5.5%/one-time): Pay-as-you-go with a fee on credit purchases - **Business** (8%/one-time): Pay-as-you-go for larger teams - **Enterprise** (Custom): Contract-based for large organizations ## Best for - Switching or comparing models without code changes, adding provider fallbacks, consolidating LLM billing across vendors ## Who uses it - Software Developers - AI Engineers - Startups - Product Teams - Enterprises building LLM applications ## Strengths - Single OpenAI-compatible endpoint covering 500+ models from 80+ providers, so switching models rarely needs code changes. - Inference passes through at provider list prices with no markup and no minimums or lock-in. - Automatic provider fallbacks reduce exposure to outages and rate limits. - Free models and a free router allow testing without paying. - Enterprise options include SSO/SAML, SLAs, EU and US in-region routing and private endpoints. ## Limitations - A 5.5% (Standard) or 8% (Business) platform fee applies to every credit purchase, and platform fees are non-refundable. - The free tier has no auto-routing, budgets, prompt caching or BYOK, and is limited to 50 requests per day. - No official mobile app or desktop client; mobile access is through third-party clients. - Business and Enterprise pricing, and the Stripe acquisition announced in August 2026, add some uncertainty about future terms. ## Not recommended for - Non-technical users wanting a finished chat product, teams that need a single flat monthly subscription ## FinderAtlas editorial scores (out of 10) - Ease of Use: 8.6/10 - Feature Depth: 8.5/10 - Value for Money: 8.3/10 - Performance & Speed: 8/10 - Documentation & Support: 8.2/10 ## Alternatives - [Greptile](https://finderatlas.com/tools/greptile): AI code review that checks every pull request against your full codebase context ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/greptile-vs-openrouter)) - [Momentic](https://finderatlas.com/tools/momentic): AI QA platform that writes, runs and maintains end-to-end tests from plain English ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/momentic-vs-openrouter)) - [Browserbase](https://finderatlas.com/tools/browserbase): Cloud browser infrastructure and APIs that let AI agents browse and act on the web ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/browserbase-vs-openrouter)) - [Browser Use](https://finderatlas.com/tools/browser-use): Open-source library and cloud platform for AI agents that control real web browsers ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/browser-use-vs-openrouter)) - [Groq](https://finderatlas.com/tools/groq): Fast, OpenAI-compatible inference API for open models, running on custom LPU chips ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/groq-vs-openrouter)) - [Replicate](https://finderatlas.com/tools/replicate): Run, fine-tune and deploy open-source AI models through a pay-per-use API ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/openrouter-vs-replicate)) - [Langfuse](https://finderatlas.com/tools/langfuse): Open-source platform to trace, evaluate and improve LLM applications and agents ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/langfuse-vs-openrouter)) - [fal](https://finderatlas.com/tools/fal): Run image, video, audio and 3D generative models through one fast developer API ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/fal-vs-openrouter)) ## Recent updates - 2026-10-14: Private Endpoints - 2026-10-07: ElevenLabs is now available on OpenRouter - 2026-09-28: Security Center - 2026-09-22: Batch API - 2026-09-09: In-Region Routing ## Recent user reviews - 4/5 (2026-11-08): OpenRouter gives one OpenAI-compatible API and one bill for hundreds of models across providers. Switching models without changing client code and the automatic provider fallbacks are the main wins; the fee on credit purchases is the trade-off to keep in mind. - 5/5 (2026-11-08): OpenRouter makes it easy to try many LLM providers through one OpenAI-compatible API and one bill. Switching models without rewriting client code is the main win, and free models help for quick tests. The credit fee on purchases is the trade-off to keep in mind. ## FAQ **Does OpenRouter log my prompts and completions?** According to its FAQ, OpenRouter logs basic request metadata such as timestamps, model and token counts, but not prompts or completions. Users can opt in to prompt logging in exchange for a 1% discount. **Does OpenRouter add a markup to model prices?** Inference is billed at each provider's list price with no markup. A platform fee (5.5% on Standard, 8% on Business) applies when credits are purchased. **What are the limits on free models?** Without purchased credits, free usage is limited to 50 requests per day. After buying at least $10 in credits, the limit rises to 1,000 per day. Free models are also capped at 20 requests per minute and are generally not suited to production use. **Can I get a refund on unused credits?** Refunds for unused credits can be requested within 24 hours of purchase from the Credits page. Platform fees are non-refundable and cryptocurrency payments are never refundable. **What happens if a provider goes down?** OpenRouter automatically falls back to the next provider when a provider returns an error, and failed attempts that error are not charged for model tokens. **Can I use my own provider API keys?** Yes. Standard and Business accounts get $25,000 per month of list-price BYOK usage with no OpenRouter fee, and a 5% fee applies above that.