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OpenRouter — Multi-Provider Routing Layer

Workload Suitability Matrix: Multi-Node Training: Meta-routing layer aggregating 20+ LLM providers; not designed for distributed training but optimizes inference routing across providers. Spot Inferen...

⚡ Free Tier Summary — OpenRouter
Gemini 2.0 FlashNo Card
15 RPM, 1M tokens/day via Google AI Studio
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Llama 3.3 70BNo Card
30 RPM, 14,400 requests/day via Groq Console
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Llama 3.1 8BNo Card
30 RPM, 14,400 requests/day via Groq Console
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Qwen 2.5 Coder 32BNo Card
30 RPM, 14,400 requests/day via Groq Console
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Qwen 2.5 72BNo Card
30 RPM, 14,400 requests/day via Groq Console
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Mistral NeMo 12BNo Card
1 RPS (60 RPM), phone verification required via La Plateforme
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Meta Llama 3.3 70BNo Card
3 RPM, no credit card required for :free models
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Qwen 2.5 72BNo Card
3 RPM, no credit card required for :free models
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Meta Llama 3.1 8BNo Card
3 RPM, no credit card required for :free models
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Llama 3.1 8B InstructNo Card
1,000 requests/day via Inference API (serverless)
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Llama 3.3 70B InstructNo Card
500 requests/day via Inference API (serverless, rate-limited)
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Llama 3.3 70BNo Card
10,000 neurons/day free allocation
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Llama 3.1 8BNo Card
10,000 neurons/day free allocation
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Competitor Comparison

PROVIDERMIN PRICE / HRAVG TOKEN RATEFREE TIERBILLINGKEY ADVANTAGE
OpenRouter—$0.00/1M:free models available with ra...per-token★ You are here
DeepInfra—$0.00/1MGenerous free tier with rate l...per-tokenServerless Open-Source Inference

Technical Nuances & Editorial Analysis

Workload Suitability Matrix: Multi-Node Training: Meta-routing layer aggregating 20+ LLM providers; not designed for distributed training but optimizes inference routing across providers. Spot Inference Prototyping: 18-27% markup on open-weight models like DeepSeek and Llama; closed models remain passthrough at direct API rates; automatic failover within ~200ms if provider returns 429/503. Persistent Production API: Unified API key eliminates managing multiple provider credentials; batch processing offers up to 50% discount on input tokens; :free models for experimentation and prototyping; best for multi-model applications and A/B testing.

Billing Granularity

per-token

How charges are calculated

Hidden Costs

18-27% markup on open-weight models; closed models are passthrough

Watch out for these fees

Free Tier

:free models available with rate limits; no credit card required for most models

Credit requirements and caps

Best Use Case

Best for multi-provider routing

Ideal workload profile

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest instance/model on OpenRouter?▾
The lowest input token rate on OpenRouter is $0.00/1M tokens via SambaNova, DeepSeek, Cloudflare Workers AI, DeepInfra, NVIDIA NIM, OpenRouter, Mistral, Groq, Cohere, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI Studio, Together AI, GitHub Models.
Does OpenRouter offer a free tier without a credit card?▾
:free models available with rate limits; no credit card required for most models
How does OpenRouter compare to its cheaper alternatives?▾
OpenRouter differentiates through multi-provider routing layer. Token rates range from $0.00/1M input, competitive with the broader API market.
Data Freshness: Verified via Official Provider APIs & Documentation | Refreshed WeeklyPricing sourced from OpenRouter official documentation and public APIs.Methodology →

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