Is OpenRouter more expensive than the OpenAI API?

Per token, no: it charges the provider's price. You pay a 5.5% fee when you top up by card ($0.80 minimum), or 5% in crypto, so the total is that much higher than buying OpenAI credits at face value.

Do I get the same models on OpenRouter?

Most major models are listed, often from several hosts. Some features (like each lab's batch API) are only available direct.

getcheapaicredits

Comparison

OpenRouter vs buying direct

Token prices are the same: OpenRouter passes the providers' list prices through without markup. The difference is the fee when you buy credits, against the convenience of one key and one balance for every lab.

Right now

Direct from the lab (card) is cheaper at $20, $100, $500, $1,000, $2,000.

Usage bought →	$20	$100	$500	$1,000	$2,000
Direct from the lab · Card	$20.00	$100.00	$500.00	$1,000.00	$2,000.00
OpenRouter · Crypto	$21.00	$105.00	$525.00	$1,050.00	$2,100.00
OpenRouter · Card	$21.10	$105.50	$527.50	$1,055.00	$2,110.00

Cheapest per column highlighted. * card processing and tax added at checkout, not in the number. Live quotes, refreshed every 5 minutes.

Side by side

	Direct from the lab · Card	OpenRouter · Crypto	OpenRouter · Card
Payment	Card	Crypto	Card
Models	Only that lab's models	Every model on OpenRouter	Every model on OpenRouter
API keys	One account and key per lab	One key, many routing options	One key, many routing options
Data retention	Each lab's own data policy	Configurable per request (ZDR available)	Configurable per request (ZDR available)
Fees	Prepaid credits at face value (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google…). Taxes may apply.	5% on crypto purchases. No markup on model prices.	5.5% on card purchases, $0.80 minimum. No markup on model prices.
Our price source	face value	published fee	published fee

When buying direct is cheaper

If you only use one lab's models, buying prepaid credits from that lab costs face value, with no top-up fee. On $1,000 of usage, that's $55 less than OpenRouter by card. You also get the lab's own features first (batch APIs, caching options, new models on day one).

When OpenRouter is worth it

If you switch between Claude, GPT, Gemini and open models, one key and one balance save you from managing several accounts, rate limits and invoices. Provider fallback keeps requests going when a host is down.

If you want the convenience without the fee, discount credit books (smaaart, Orbio) resell OpenRouter usage below face value, within their depth. See the main comparison.

Want the whole field? See the live comparison or estimate your bill with the cost calculator.

Questions

Disclosure: this site is run by the team behind smaaart, one of the options compared. Tables are ranked by price only, from live quotes and published fees, including when smaaart isn't first. How we compare