What we checked on OpenRouter
Multi-agent
Its beta Subagent server tool lets a calling model delegate focused tasks to worker models.
The openrouter:subagent server tool lets a model delegate self-contained tasks to a smaller, cheaper, faster worker model mid-generation.
Model choice
Developers can choose model, provider, and tool for a task, or use automatic routing instead.
Choose the most cost-effective model, provider, and tool for the task, or use a router to do it automatically.
openrouter.ai/aboutChecked
Open source
OpenRouter's terms treat service source code and materials as proprietary, with rights reserved by OpenRouter.
All Materials included in the Service are the property of OpenRouter or our third-party licensors.
openrouter.ai/termsChecked
Licence
The service is proprietary: its terms reserve rights in the materials rather than grant redistribution rights to companies.
OpenRouter reserves all rights to the Materials not granted expressly in these Terms.
openrouter.ai/termsChecked
SDK languages
Official auto-generated client SDKs are documented for TypeScript, Python, and Go, with type-safe API access.
On the page: Installation language and package table
Tracing and evals
Request-level logs show generation details, while Broadcast sends traces automatically to configured observability destinations.
Logs shows you each generation as it happened: which model and provider served it, how long it took, what it cost
How it meters
Inference is usage-metered per input and output token at each provider's posted model rate.
Input and output tokens are billed per model at posted rates.
openrouter.ai/pricingChecked
Free tier
A standing Free plan includes access to more than 25 free models and four free providers.
On the page: Plans comparison table, Free column
openrouter.ai/pricingChecked
MCP server
OpenRouter operates a hosted remote MCP server that lets connected assistants query live platform data and test messages.
It's a remote server hosted by OpenRouter (nothing is installed locally).
Bring your own key
Customers can bring provider API keys, retain direct rate-limit and cost control, and route through OpenRouter.
Using provider keys enables direct control over rate limits and costs via your provider account.
A company can buy it
The service supports organizational accounts with an administrator who can invite authorized users into the account.
The Service allows creation of two account types: organizational accounts and individual accounts.
openrouter.ai/termsChecked
Pooled budget
Billing is unified across workspaces, so organization usage is funded from one account-level billing arrangement rather than individual seats.
Credits & Billing. Unified billing across all workspaces.
Admin controls
Organization guardrails let administrators enforce spend, model and provider allowlists, privacy policies, and content rules.
Guardrails let organizations control how their members and API keys can use OpenRouter.
Single sign-on
SAML single sign-on is available to organizations on Enterprise plans and requires an organization administrator to configure it.
SSO is available for organizations on Enterprise plans.
Opt out of training
Account privacy settings can exclude providers that train on prompts, while OpenRouter says it does not train on customer data.
If you opt out of training in your account settings, OpenRouter will not route to providers that train.
Data residency
Business and Enterprise can route prompts and completions within Europe or the United States, while account records may remain outside that boundary.
EU in-region routing (eu.openrouter.ai) and US in-region routing (us.openrouter.ai) are available on the Business and Enterprise plans.
Getting out
Usage can be exported as CSV or PDF, and the vendor's terms say unused credits may expire after 365 days.
OpenRouter reserves the right to expire unused credits three hundred sixty-five (365) days after purchase.
openrouter.ai/termsChecked
OpenRouter price and terms
Terms
- Free plan
- YesYesThe Free plan includes 25+ free models, 4 free providers, and 50 requests/day
What needs a higher plan
- Enterprise
- Single sign-on
- Business and Enterprise
- Data residency
For AI agents
- MCP server
- Yes
Pricing page, captured
Its own pages, checked
OpenRouter alternatives
All 2 alternatives
Questions about OpenRouter
- How much does OpenRouter cost?
- OpenRouter is free to use. From its own pages, checked 30 October 2026.
- Does OpenRouter have an API or an MCP server?
- It has an MCP server.
- Is OpenRouter open source, and can you host it yourself?
- It is not open source.
- What have we checked on OpenRouter?
- 17 facts, under these headings: How much it does unattended, which models it runs on, whose machine it runs on, building with it, what it costs to run, buying it for a team, what happens to your code.
- How do we check OpenRouter?
- We hold 17 facts on OpenRouter, quoted from 13 pages. Facts last checked 29 October 2026. Price last checked 30 October 2026.
Sources and changes
Last changed
Sources on openrouter.ai13
- /terms
- /pricing
- /about
- /docs/client-sdks/overview
- /docs/guides/features/guardrails
- /docs/guides/features/in-region-routing
- /docs/guides/features/logs
- /docs/guides/features/server-tools/subagent
- /docs/guides/features/sso
- /docs/guides/features/workspaces
- /docs/guides/overview/auth/byok
- /docs/guides/overview/mcp-server
- /docs/guides/privacy/provider-logging
Is this yours?
AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude opened The Agents Index pages 2,746 times in September. Claiming is free. You get this page's reader numbers and the verified owner mark. You confirm it with an email at openrouter.ai.
Report an error if a fact is wrong.