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OpenRouter

One API, 300+ models — including many free ones

TL;DR

OpenRouter — One API, 300+ models — including many free ones. Free tier: "Free" tagged models cost zero — but rate-limited globally to 20 requests/min, 200/day. Add $10 credit to lift to 1000/day. API is OpenAI-compatible — point your SDK at https://openrouter.ai/api/v1.

Latency now
Uptime 24h
20
Free RPM
200
Free RPD
Get free API key → Read docs ↗ Pricing ↗

Free tier limits

  • 20 requests/min
  • 200 requests/day
No credit card required.

Models on free tier

  • meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free
  • deepseek/deepseek-chat:free
  • google/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:free
  • qwen/qwen-2.5-72b-instruct:free

Upgrade path

Pay-as-you-go via prepaid credits. Most non-free models priced at OpenAI/Anthropic equivalents with a small markup; some cheaper than direct.

BYOK + enterprise contracts available.

Endpoint

https://openrouter.ai/api/v1

OpenAI-compatible — works with the OpenAI SDK by overriding base_url.

Quick start
curl https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENROUTER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello in 5 words"}]
  }'
When OpenRouter is the right pick

Stay on free tier when

A/B testing models, multi-provider failover, building agents that pick model per task. The fastest way to try every frontier model with one key.

Pick something else when

Latency-critical use cases — adds a routing hop. Use Groq / direct provider when ms matter.

FAQ
Is OpenRouter's API really free?

"Free" tagged models cost zero — but rate-limited globally to 20 requests/min, 200/day. Add $10 credit to lift to 1000/day. No credit card is required to sign up.

What models can I call on OpenRouter's free tier?

Most commonly used: meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free, deepseek/deepseek-chat:free, google/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:free, qwen/qwen-2.5-72b-instruct:free. The full current list is on OpenRouter's docs page.

Is OpenRouter OpenAI-compatible?

Yes — point the OpenAI SDK's base URL at `https://openrouter.ai/api/v1` and pass your OpenRouter API key.

When should I upgrade from OpenRouter's free tier?

Pay-as-you-go via prepaid credits. Most non-free models priced at OpenAI/Anthropic equivalents with a small markup; some cheaper than direct. If your traffic is bursty or seasonal, the free tier may be enough; if you need a guaranteed SLA, upgrade.

See also
OpenRouter vs Together AI

Side-by-side comparison.

OpenRouter vs Groq

Side-by-side comparison.

OpenRouter vs Google AI Studio (Gemini)

Side-by-side comparison.

OpenRouter vs Mistral La Plateforme

Side-by-side comparison.