What it does
OpenRouter gives access to more than 500 models from over 80 providers through a single interface and one API key. The home page says the models cover text, images, video and audio, and it shows featured models from Google, OpenAI and Anthropic alongside weekly usage figures. The API is described as fully OpenAI compatible. You sign up with a Google, GitHub or MetaMask login, buy credits that work with any model or provider, and then create an API key. Requests can fall back to other providers when one goes down, and fine-grained data policies let you control which models and providers receive your prompts. The site also has a chat page, model rankings and benchmarks, an apps directory, an EU routing option and an Enterprise plan. A recent post says Enterprise customers can route their own fine-tuned models and dedicated deployments through Private Endpoints, available by request.
Capabilities
- One OpenAI-compatible API key for 500+ models
- Provider fallback for higher availability
- Custom data policies that limit where prompts are sent
- Prepaid credits that work with any model or provider
- Model rankings, benchmarks and a chat page
- Private Endpoints for Enterprise customers, by request
When to use it
- You want to try or switch between models from many providers behind a single API key
- You want requests to fall back to another provider when one goes down
- You need to restrict which providers can receive your prompts
