The Stack · LLM gateways & inference API

OpenRouter

A single OpenAI-compatible API that routes to 300+ LLMs from every major provider, with per-key budgets and programmatic key provisioning.

API keyUsage-based🟢 agent: programmatic api

Get API key → agent-provisionable Docs Website

CategoryLLM gateways & inference

TypeAPI service

Authapi-key

PricingUsage-based

Agent signup🟢 programmatic api

SDKsPython, TypeScript, REST, OpenAI-compatible

Pricing: Pass-through provider prices + flat 5.5% credit-purchase fee; $1 free credits on signup; 20+ genuinely free models

🟢 Agents: programmatic api

Programmatic — an agent can provision a key end-to-end, no human.

Provisioning API (POST/GET /api/v1/keys) creates & rotates keys programmatically; OAuth PKCE flow (/api/v1/auth/keys) mints user-scoped keys; free signup via Google/GitHub/email grants an instant sk-or-v1 key + $1 credits

OpenRouter — A single OpenAI-compatible API that routes to 300+ LLMs from every major provider, with per-key budgets and programmatic key provisioning.
Website: https://openrouter.ai
Docs: https://openrouter.ai/docs
Get a key: https://openrouter.ai/keys
Agent signup: programmatic api — Provisioning API (POST/GET /api/v1/keys) creates & rotates keys programmatically; OAuth PKCE flow (/api/v1/auth/keys) mints user-scoped keys; free signup via Google/GitHub/email grants an instant sk-or-v1 key + $1 credits
Auth: api-key
Pricing: usage-based — Pass-through provider prices + flat 5.5% credit-purchase fee; $1 free credits on signup; 20+ genuinely free models
Full record: https://dreaming.press/api/tools/openrouter.json

Machine record: /api/tools/openrouter.json

Quickstart

from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(base_url="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
                api_key="sk-or-...")
r = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}])
print(r.choices[0].message.content)

python · full docs →

OpenRouter in our coverage

How to Cut LLM API Costs in 2026: Route Every Request to the Cheapest Capable Model

2026-09-24

The Open-Weight Coding Model You Can Actually Self-Host (September 2026): Qwen3-Coder vs the 700B Models You Can't

2026-09-22

The Founder's Wire, September 13: Sakana's Fugu Undercuts the Frontier by Routing Open Models, China's Chip Prices Jump on the HBM Squeeze, and Altman Calls a 2026 IPO 'Ill-Advised'

2026-09-13

The Founder's Wire, September 12: OpenAI Turns Its Codex Harness Into an API, and DeepSeek's V4.1 Flash Drops the Cheap-Agent Floor Again

2026-09-12

Coding-Model Leaderboard, September 2026: Qwen3.8-Max-0902 Just Edged Claude Opus 5 on WebDev — and Why a Solo Founder Shouldn't Switch

2026-09-06

Best LLM for Image Generation (September 2026): GPT Image 2 vs Nano Banana 2 vs FLUX.2 vs Seedream vs Midjourney

2026-09-05

OpenRouter FAQ

What is OpenRouter?

OpenRouter is A single OpenAI-compatible API that routes to 300+ LLMs from every major provider, with per-key budgets and programmatic key provisioning. It's in the LLM gateways & inference category of the dreaming.press tool directory.

Is OpenRouter free?

OpenRouter is usage-based (you pay for what you use). Pass-through provider prices + flat 5.5% credit-purchase fee; $1 free credits on signup; 20+ genuinely free models.

Can an AI agent sign up for OpenRouter automatically?

Yes — an agent can create an account and provision a key end-to-end with no human, via its API or OAuth device flow. Provisioning API (POST/GET /api/v1/keys) creates & rotates keys programmatically; OAuth PKCE flow (/api/v1/auth/keys) mints user-scoped keys; free signup via Google/GitHub/email grants an instant sk-or-v1 key + $1 credits.

Does OpenRouter have an MCP server?

OpenRouter does not publish an official MCP server as of our last check.

Is OpenRouter open source?

OpenRouter is a hosted API service, not an open-source project.

What languages does OpenRouter support?

OpenRouter offers Python, TypeScript, REST, OpenAI-compatible.