# OpenRouter — One OpenAI-compatible API that routes across hundreds of models and providers. > Source: The Agents Index — https://theagentsindex.com/openrouter (structured, researched, re-verified) OpenRouter is a proprietary LLM gateway that gives developers one OpenAI-compatible API for hundreds of models and providers. It routes requests across providers for availability, cost, and policy controls, and offers an MCP server and agent-building tools. **Best for:** Developers building model-flexible AI products across providers | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Website | https://openrouter.ai/ | | Category | LLM gateways & routers | | Open source | No | | Price | Free | | Price checked | 30 October 2026 | | MCP server | Yes | | API | Not stated | | Self-host | Not stated | | Facts | 17 facts from 13 sources | | Facts checked | 29 October 2026 | Screenshot of OpenRouter: https://theagentsindex.com/img/1920/screenshots/openrouter.webp, captured 30 October 2026 **What we checked** - Pages last read: 30 October 2026 - Facts checked: 17 facts (From 13 sources, read 29 October 2026) - AI answers: Named in 0 of 151 (Our October check) ## What we checked on OpenRouter ### How much it does unattended **Multi-agent** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/server-tools/subagent · Introduction, checked 29 October 2026 ### Which models it runs on **Model choice** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/about · Mission, Cost, checked 29 October 2026 ### Whose machine it runs on **Open source** · No — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/terms · Section 12, Ownership; Proprietary Rights, checked 29 October 2026 **Licence** · No — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/terms · Section 12, Ownership; Proprietary Rights, checked 29 October 2026 ### Building with it **SDK languages** · Yes — Official auto-generated client SDKs are documented for TypeScript, Python, and Go, with type-safe API access. > | TypeScript | [`@openrouter/sdk`] | | Python | [`openrouter`] | | Go | [`go-sdk`] | > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/client-sdks/overview · Installation language and package table, checked 29 October 2026 **Tracing and evals** · Yes — 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 > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/logs · Introduction, checked 29 October 2026 ### What it costs to run **How it meters** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/pricing · FAQ, Billing and Pricing, How are tokens billed?, checked 29 October 2026 **Free tier** · Yes — A standing Free plan includes access to more than 25 free models and four free providers. > | Models | 25+ free models | | Providers | 4 free providers | > — https://openrouter.ai/pricing · Plans comparison table, Free column, checked 29 October 2026 **MCP server** · Yes — 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). > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/overview/mcp-server · Introduction, checked 29 October 2026 **Bring your own key** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/overview/auth/byok · Bring your own API Keys, checked 29 October 2026 ### Buying it for a team **A company can buy it** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/terms · Section 3.1, Account Registration, checked 29 October 2026 **Pooled budget** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/workspaces · Account Level Settings, checked 29 October 2026 **Admin controls** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/guardrails · Introduction, checked 29 October 2026 **Single sign-on** · Partly — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/sso · Introduction, checked 29 October 2026 ### What happens to your code **Opt out of training** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/privacy/provider-logging · Provider Policies, Training on Prompts, checked 29 October 2026 **Data residency** · Partly — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/in-region-routing · Introduction, checked 29 October 2026 **Getting out** · Yes — 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. > — https://openrouter.ai/terms · Section 4.2, Credit Expiration; Auto Recharge, checked 29 October 2026 ## OpenRouter price and terms **Terms** - Free plan: Yes — The 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 as we captured it: https://theagentsindex.com/img/1920/screenshots/openrouter/pricing.webp, captured 30 October 2026 Read on its pricing page, 30 October 2026. ## OpenRouter alternatives - [LiteLLM](https://theagentsindex.com/litellm) · Free plan: Self-hosted open-source gateway that puts models, agents and MCP tools behind one API. - [Portkey](https://theagentsindex.com/portkey) · Free plan, then $49 a month: An open-source AI gateway that unifies model access with governance and LLM observability. All 2 publish a price. [All 2 alternatives](https://theagentsindex.com/openrouter/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. How we check every listing: https://theagentsindex.com/methodology/ ## Sources and changes Last changed 30 October 2026 **Sources on openrouter.ai** (13) - https://openrouter.ai/terms, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/pricing, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/about, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/client-sdks/overview, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/guardrails, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/in-region-routing, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/logs, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/server-tools/subagent, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/sso, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/workspaces, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/overview/auth/byok, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/overview/mcp-server, read 29 October 2026 - https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/privacy/provider-logging, read 29 October 2026 ## Is this yours? AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude opened The Agents Index pages 2,746 times in September. Claim OpenRouter: https://theagentsindex.com/claim/openrouter Report an error if a fact is wrong: hello@theagentsindex.com, subject "Report an error: OpenRouter (openrouter)".