Compare models and prices yourself
OpenRouter
Made by OpenRouter
Hundreds of models behind one interface, with prices side by side and free tiers to try.
What it is
OpenRouter is the quickest way to answer 'what would this actually cost me?'. It lists hundreds of hosted models with their per-token prices next to each other, and lets you send the same prompt to several of them.
It is also the easiest way to try a model without handing over a card: there is a set of free models with a modest daily request limit.
Inference is charged at the provider's list price with no markup; OpenRouter's own fee is a percentage added when you top up credits.
Published price
- Free models25+ free models, 50 requests a day$0
- InferenceProvider list price, no markup
- Credit top-up fee5.5%
- Own provider key (BYOK)5% of the equivalent OpenRouter cost
Source: OpenRouter's pricing page · Last checked 17 September 2026
Benchmarks
The published figures for OpenRouter, copied exactly as their sources give them and checked 17 September 2026. Each one names the test, who ran it and when, and says when the number comes from the maker rather than an independent tester.
No published score. OpenRouter is the shop, not the product: it ranks models by how much real developer traffic they get and republishes Artificial Analysis scores. It makes no capability claim of its own.
Where to read today's numbers
Scores move, so these are the boards that keep them current.
- OpenRouter rankingsIndependent
Ranks models by how much real developer traffic they actually get — usage, not quality.
- Artificial AnalysisIndependent
Independent testing of quality, speed and price per million tokens across hosted models.
- LMArena leaderboardIndependent
Ranks models by blind head-to-head votes from the public. Good for a feel for general quality, weak on specialist work.
How it performs, in my experience
Hundreds of models behind one interface with prices side by side — the quickest way to see what a model actually costs per use.
Free value
4 / 5
How much you get without paying.
Performance
4 / 5
How well it does its main job.
Range of uses
5 / 5
How many different jobs it suits.
Free models plus pay-as-you-go access to hundreds more, prices side by side. These scores are my own judgment, not a measurement — the benchmark links above are the independent version.
Prompting it from this site
It's the route, not the model
OpenRouter is what the four models above would run through. Save an OpenRouter key here and they all switch on at once.
Use it for
- Comparing model prices
- Trying several models on the same prompt
- Using free models without a card
Running it yourself
The software is local, the model isn't
OpenRouter is a router, not a model: it forwards your request to whichever model you name. Your code runs locally, the models don't.
What you need first
- Python 3.8+ or Node.js 18+
- An OpenRouter key with some credit on it
Step by step
1.Install any OpenAI-compatible client
pip install openai2.Set your key
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...3.Point it at the router and name a model
python -c "import os;from openai import OpenAI;c=OpenAI(api_key=os.environ['OPENROUTER_API_KEY'],base_url='https://openrouter.ai/api/v1');print(c.chat.completions.create(model='moonshotai/kimi-k2',messages=[{'role':'user','content':'hello'}]).choices[0].message.content)"
Handy for trying several models without separate accounts. It adds a small margin on top of each model's own price.