One API endpoint to route requests across hundreds of AI models
OpenRouter is a model gateway that exposes many third-party AI models through one OpenAI-compatible API. Teams can compare providers, set routing preferences, and switch models without rewriting core client logic for each vendor SDK. The service publishes per-model pricing and supports pay-as-you-go usage.
Use cases
- Benchmarking prompts across multiple model vendors with one integration
- Failing over to alternate providers when one endpoint is degraded
- Controlling model spend by selecting cheaper routes per task
- Shipping prototypes quickly without committing to a single model vendor
- Running internal eval pipelines over a shared model catalog
Key features
- OpenAI-compatible API endpoint for model calls
- Model catalog spanning text, image, and other modalities
- Per-model pricing visibility before sending requests
- Provider routing controls for latency, cost, and availability
- Single-key integration that reduces per-vendor SDK wiring
Who Is It For?
- Application developers shipping multi-model AI products
- Platform engineers responsible for LLM reliability and cost controls
- Startups that need flexible model sourcing during rapid iteration
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does OpenRouter expose only one model family?
- No. OpenRouter lists models from many providers and lets you call them through one API surface.
- Can I use OpenAI SDK-style calls with OpenRouter?
- OpenRouter documents an OpenAI-compatible API, so existing OpenAI-style client patterns can often be adapted with endpoint and key changes.
- How is pricing presented?
- OpenRouter publishes pricing by model on its pricing and models pages; actual cost depends on the model and token usage you select.
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Replicate
Replicate is a hosted platform for executing third-party and custom machine-learning models over HTTP without provisioning GPUs yourself. Official documentation explains how to authenticate with API tokens, create asynchronous predictions, stream outputs, retrieve model metadata, wire webhooks for completion events, and optionally deploy or fine-tune checkpoints (for example FLUX image workflows) published to the Replicate catalog.
Together AI
Together AI operates a developer platform for running prominent open-source and vendor-weight models from Together-hosted GPUs. Documentation centers on issuing API keys, installing the Together Python (`together`) or npm (`together-ai`) SDKs, or calling HTTPS endpoints such as `https://api.together.ai/v1/chat/completions` with Bearer authentication. Guides cover streaming chat completions, function calling, structured outputs, model catalog browsing, GPU reservations for steady traffic, and fine-tuning or dedicated cluster offerings published in the broader docs hierarchy.