Yeah, some of the models are free. Phi-3 Medium Instruct , is free, for example. Answer from TheMissingPremise on reddit.com
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai
OpenRouter
Reliable AI models via our distributed infrastructure. Fall back to other providers when one goes down.Learn more · Keep costs in check without sacrificing speed. OpenRouter runs at the edge for minimal latency between your users and their inference.Learn more
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A router for LLMs and other AI models
Models
Browse models on OpenRouter
LLM Rankings
Language models ranked and analyzed by usage across apps
OpenRouter Quickstart Guide
OpenRouter provides a unified API that gives you access to hundreds of AI models through a single endpoint, while automatically handling fallbacks and selecting the most cost-effective options. Get started with just a few lines of code using your preferred SDK or framework. Looking for information about free ...
Puter
developer.puter.com › tutorials › free-unlimited-openrouter-api
Free, Unlimited OpenRouter API
3 days ago - Learn how to use Puter.js to access OpenRouter's extensive collection of AI models for free, without any API keys or usage restrictions.
Videos
10:42
OpenRouter: Easily access multiple AI models (including FREE ones) ...
04:00
OpenRouter: 70+ Free LLM APIs at Your Fingertips (No Credit Card) ...
08:25
OpenRouter: Unlock FREE LLMs & AI Trading Tools - YouTube
Turbocharge Your Coding with OpenRouter.ai! - YouTube
06:03
This site gives you a FREE API for several AIs! OpenRouter
05:40
How to Use AI Models API for Free | OpenRouter Tutorial - YouTube
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › pricing
Pricing - OpenRouter | OpenRouter
Transparent pricing for OpenRouter. Pay only for what you use with access to 500+ AI models. Free tier, Pay-as-you-go, and Enterprise plans available.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › docs › faq
OpenRouter FAQ | Developer Documentation | OpenRouter | Documentation
Yes, if you choose to use your own provider API keys (Bring Your Own Key - BYOK), the first 1M BYOK requests per-month are free, and for all subsequent usage there is a fee of 5% of what the same model and provider would normally cost on OpenRouter.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/sillytavernai › is openrouter free to use ?
r/SillyTavernAI on Reddit: is openrouter free to use ?
May 28, 2024 -
i dont have much idea about this sub but when i was using perplexity to find out which platforms allow us to use opensource models for free i got a suggestion from this sub of openrouter. I have been using open router its an amazing platform but i want to know if its free or i am using it through some glitch. I have been using alot of the models and i can see in the activity amount of token and their cost but i havent fed any card details or whatever to the openrouter yet i am able to use the models. Is it really free like this?
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › models
Models: 'free' | OpenRouter
Browse models on OpenRouter
Apidog
apidog.com › blog › free-ai-models
Best Free AI Models You Can Use on OpenRouter
April 11, 2025 - However, OpenRouter—a unified API gateway connecting users to hundreds of AI models—offers an impressive selection of free, high-quality models that deliver powerful capabilities without cost barriers.
Medium
gaikarkshitij.medium.com › using-llm-apis-for-free-with-openrouter-ai-2025-edition-2c2c677c64bf
🚀 Using LLM APIs for Free with OpenRouter.ai (2025 Edition) | by Kshitij Gaikar | Medium
April 15, 2025 - ... OpenRouter.ai serves as a unified API platform that connects users to a diverse array of AI models from providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, and more. Its standout feature is a free tier that allows experimentation with LLMs ...
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › collections › free-models
Free AI Models on OpenRouter | OpenRouter
Access powerful AI models at zero cost. Experiment, learn, and build with free AI models and LLMs. OpenRouter is committed to keeping AI accessible for everyone.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › announcements › updates-to-our-free-tier-sustaining-accessible-ai-for-everyone
Updates to Our Free Tier: Sustaining Accessible AI ...
While we can't guarantee what the future holds, we're taking immediate action to maintain free AI inference options on our platform. Expanding Free Capacity: We're actively onboarding new providers to replenish and enhance our free model offerings. Additionally, OpenRouter will directly cover ...
Silly Tavern
docs.sillytavern.app › usage › api-connections › openrouter
OpenRouter | docs.ST.app
To get permanent access to free models with a generous daily limit, you need to buy at least $10 in credits once. See more details on the OpenRouter FAQ page.
Medium
medium.com › @phsaurav › breaking-free-from-ai-subscriptions-cost-effective-all-in-one-solution-with-openrouter-a1f596ce1227
Breaking Free from AI Subscriptions: Cost-Effective All-in-One Solution with OpenRouter | by Parvez Hossain Saurav | Medium
March 15, 2025 - Breaking Free from AI Subscriptions: Cost-Effective All-in-One Solution with OpenRouter AI is here to stay. From my early days with the Copilot trial to now, I am using it in different flavours and …
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › docs › quickstart
OpenRouter Quickstart Guide | Developer Documentation | OpenRouter | Documentation
OpenRouter provides a unified API that gives you access to hundreds of AI models through a single endpoint, while automatically handling fallbacks and selecting the most cost-effective options. Get started with just a few lines of code using your preferred SDK or framework. Looking for information about free models and rate limits?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/chatgptcoding › eli5: how does openrouter work?
r/ChatGPTCoding on Reddit: ELI5: how does Openrouter work?
September 10, 2024 -
https://openrouter.ai/
How does it work? Is it spammy/legit? I only ask because with all my recent comments about my workflow and tools I use, I have been getting unsolicited DMs, inviting me to "join, we have room". Just seems spammy to me.
My bill this month for ChatGPT Pro + API, Claude Sonnet + API, and Cursor will probably be over $60 easy. I'm okay with that.
BUT if this OpenRouter service is cheaper? why not, right?
I just don't get it.
ELI5?
Novelcrafter
docs.novelcrafter.com › home › help › faq › ai connections › how can i use ai for free?
How can I use AI for free? - AI Connections - Novelcrafter Help
There are two ways to use AI for free within Novelcrafter. Connect to OpenRouter, and use one of their free models. To see current pricing go to https://openrouter.ai/models. As of May 2024, top models for writing include Qwen and Google Gemma.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/sillytavernai › is window ai/openrouter free or no?
r/SillyTavernAI on Reddit: Is Window AI/OpenRouter free or no?
July 19, 2023 -
So I was casually using Poe like the freeloader I am and it stopped working, checked reddit, and tried to find another way for free stuff. I am wondering if Window AI is free to use because I just got like 20 new bots added inside Silly Tavern and I was just in the middle of a convo. Any help is appreciated!
Top answer 1 of 3
5
Openrouter is not free, but worth paying. When you use OpenAI 3.5-16k, each interactions cost ~0.01$. Put 5$ in your account and check it out.
2 of 3
5
looking at https://openrouter.ai/docs and https://openai.com/pricing - the GPT3.5 prices appear to be the same. but openrouter would conveniently give access to a bunch more models, as well.
TypingMind Docs
docs.typingmind.com › chat-models-settings › use-openrouter-models
Use OpenRouter Models
Here is how to use Open Router models on Typing Mind. Go to openrouter.ai and create an account. Open Router allows you to use some model for free, or you can buy more credits to use the premium models.
Novelcrafter
docs.novelcrafter.com › home › help › documentation › ai connections › openrouter
OpenRouter - AI Connections - Novelcrafter Help
OpenRouter offers free AI models, that you play around with. They also give you a small starting credit you can use to get started, however this will be quickly used up. You can look at your current credits over in your Account Settings.
Novelcrafter
novelcrafter.com › home › help › faq › ai connections › i can't access openrouter's free models
I can't access OpenRouter's free models - AI Connections - Novelcrafter Help
If you have purchased at least $10 credits, your free model rate limit will be 1000 requests per day. Otherwise, you will be rate limited to 50 free model API requests per day.” · For more information, see the OpenRouter documentation.
DataCamp
datacamp.com › tutorial › openrouter
OpenRouter: A Guide With Practical Examples | DataCamp
August 14, 2025 - You’ll also need an OpenRouter account and API key. Head to openrouter.ai to create a free account — you’ll get a small credit allowance to test things out.