What is OpenRouter
OpenRouter provides one API for accessing models from multiple providers, with routing, fallbacks and provider selection managed through a unified account.
Pricing
As of July 31, 2026, OpenRouter has no fixed seat plan for API use. Each model and provider combination is billed at its published usage rate, generally per million input and output tokens, with some models also carrying request, image or reasoning-token charges. OpenRouter says it passes through provider inference pricing without a markup.
Buying credits by card carries a 5.5% fee with a minimum charge of US$0.80; cryptocurrency purchases carry a 5% fee. Bring Your Own Key usage includes the first one million BYOK requests each month without an OpenRouter fee, after which OpenRouter charges 5% of the equivalent model and provider cost.
Included capabilities
The service includes a unified API, model and provider routing, usage tracking and access to free models where offered. Model rates and availability change independently, so buyers should confirm the live model catalogue before estimating production spend.
Official sources: OpenRouter FAQ and live model catalogue.