<!-- Canonical: https://www.agentlist.io/systems/openrouter -->

# OpenRouter

[06 model-router](https://www.agentlist.io/categories/model-router)/[OpenRouter](https://www.agentlist.io/ai/openrouter)/ACTIVE

OpenRouter is a single API to many LLM providers with routing, fallbacks, and usage billing — widely wired into Aider, Continue, Goose, and OpenHands.

-   [Model routing](https://www.agentlist.io/capabilities/model-routing)
-   [API-native](https://www.agentlist.io/capabilities/api-native)

SEC.01

## What it does

-   01500+ models / 80+ providers
-   0225+ free models
-   03Spend controls
-   04BYOK passthrough
-   05Pay-as-you-go

SEC.02

## Who it's for

The de-facto hosted router for BYOK coding agents.

PRICING

## Pricing

PAYG at provider list price; 5.5% fee on credit purchases; 25+ free models. List prices as checked against the vendor's pricing page on 2026-09-25; plans change often, so confirm before deciding.

caveat · before you adopt

No markup on model prices, but a 5.5% ($0.80 min) fee on credit purchases; BYOK is free up to $25k/mo of list-price inference.

ALT

## Other model routers (1)

[LiteLLM Community / OSS · model-router api · local/cloud · Free OSS self-host; Enterprise quote-based](https://www.agentlist.io/systems/litellm)

VS

## Head-to-head (1)

-   [→OpenRouter vs LiteLLM](https://www.agentlist.io/compare/openrouter-vs-litellm)

FAQ

## Frequently asked

### What is OpenRouter?

OpenRouter is a single API to many LLM providers with routing, fallbacks, and usage billing — widely wired into Aider, Continue, Goose, and OpenHands.

### Who is OpenRouter for?

The de-facto hosted router for BYOK coding agents.

### How much does OpenRouter cost?

PAYG at provider list price; 5.5% fee on credit purchases; 25+ free models. List prices as checked against the vendor's pricing page on 2026-09-25; plans change often, so confirm before deciding.

### Does OpenRouter run locally or in the cloud?

OpenRouter runs in the vendor's cloud. Its interfaces are an API or protocol.

### What are alternatives to OpenRouter?

Other model router entries in the catalog: LiteLLM. Different categories solve the same problem differently — see the Model routers & gateways category page for tradeoffs.

### What should I know before adopting OpenRouter?

No markup on model prices, but a 5.5% ($0.80 min) fee on credit purchases; BYOK is free up to $25k/mo of list-price inference.

Spec sheet

**Name**: OpenRouter

**Vendor**: [OpenRouter](https://www.agentlist.io/ai/openrouter)

**Category**: [Model routers & gateways](https://www.agentlist.io/categories/model-router)

**Interfaces**: api

**Hosting**: cloud

**Pricing**: PAYG at provider list price; 5.5% fee on credit purchases; 25+ free models

**Status**: actively maintained

**Record ID**: `sys://openrouter/openrouter`

**Verified**: [2026-09-25](https://www.agentlist.io/changelog)

Sources

-   [↗ openrouter.ai](https://openrouter.ai/)
-   [↗ openrouter.ai/pricing](https://openrouter.ai/pricing)
-   [↗ openrouter.ai/docs/faq](https://openrouter.ai/docs/faq)

Catalog entries are editorial records, not paid placements or endorsements. Pricing and status are approximate as of the seed date.

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Source: [OpenRouter — MODEL-ROUTER by OpenRouter | agentlist.io](https://www.agentlist.io/systems/openrouter). This is the public page rendered as Markdown; interactive controls require the website.