I'm using Cline and currently using Gemini 2.5 Pro Exp for plan mode, and gemini 2.0 flash Exp for act mode. Doesn't cost anything as long as you have $10 credit in OpenRouter, add your own Gemini API key in OpenRouter Integration page, and you use plan mode slowly (1 request per minute). Close to Claude 3.7? Can't tell, but it works well for me to develop small WordPress plugins. I would recommend using DeepSeek R1 and DeepSeek V3, but it keeps getting errors in both Roocode and Cline. Answer from awipra on reddit.com
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › deepseek › deepseek-r1:free
R1 - API, Providers, Stats | OpenRouter
DeepSeek R1 is here: Performance on par with [OpenAI o1](/openai/o1), but open-sourced and with fully open reasoning tokens. It's 671B parameters in size, with 37B active in an inference pass. Run R1 with API
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › docs › api › reference › authentication
API Authentication | OpenRouter OAuth and API Keys | OpenRouter | Documentation
You can cover model costs with OpenRouter API keys.
What is / are the best OpenRouter free API models currently?
I'm using Cline and currently using Gemini 2.5 Pro Exp for plan mode, and gemini 2.0 flash Exp for act mode. Doesn't cost anything as long as you have $10 credit in OpenRouter, add your own Gemini API key in OpenRouter Integration page, and you use plan mode slowly (1 request per minute). Close to Claude 3.7? Can't tell, but it works well for me to develop small WordPress plugins. I would recommend using DeepSeek R1 and DeepSeek V3, but it keeps getting errors in both Roocode and Cline. More on reddit.com
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April 30, 2025is openrouter free to use ?
Yeah, some of the models are free. Phi-3 Medium Instruct , is free, for example. More on reddit.com
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May 28, 2024Can anyone help me understanding how Open Router / API key works?..
Costs are per million tokens and usually vary between input and output. NanoGPT has a page that lays it all out for you with an example . Pricing usually differs between providers, even for the same models, so if you're willing to pay, then look around for the best deal for the model you want. Are there any subscription for Open Router? No. OR simply provides access to different providers on one unified platform and does not host any models itself. How much does it cost per message Depends on the model and, if not using OR, the provider. OR pricing is based on the model and is the same regardless of provider. If you directly go to the provider and pay their sub, will this rather be cheaper in case I dont mind using one model Highly dependent. For NanoGPT, Deepseek V3 chat is more than 50% cheaper than the official API. You have to look around and familiarize yourself with the prices of different providers. More on reddit.com
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May 25, 2025How to add open router api key and use its models
Currently i have added it but i’m having the following issue (Request ID: 338f5711-5436-4019-ba8e-d447ba7affb4) More on forum.cursor.com
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March 30, 2025Videos
10:42
OpenRouter: Easily access multiple AI models (including FREE ones) ...
04:52
Ways To Get Free AI API Keys (Unlimited) | Gemini, DeepSeek, Claude ...
04:00
OpenRouter: 70+ Free LLM APIs at Your Fingertips (No Credit Card) ...
01:27
How to Create OpenRouter API Keys - YouTube
00:55
How to Generate an OpenRouter API Key? - YouTube
04:11
How to Use OpenRouter Models in Cursor - YouTube
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai
OpenRouter
250k+ apps using OpenRouter with 4.2M+ users globallyView all ... Create an account to get started. You can set up an org for your team later. ... Credits can be used with any model or provider. ... Create an API key and start making requests.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/chatgptcoding › what is / are the best openrouter free api models currently?
r/ChatGPTCoding on Reddit: What is / are the best OpenRouter free API models currently?
April 30, 2025 -
If I want to use them for free in RooCode and get as close to Claude 3.7 as possible?
Top answer 1 of 2
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I'm using Cline and currently using Gemini 2.5 Pro Exp for plan mode, and gemini 2.0 flash Exp for act mode. Doesn't cost anything as long as you have $10 credit in OpenRouter, add your own Gemini API key in OpenRouter Integration page, and you use plan mode slowly (1 request per minute). Close to Claude 3.7? Can't tell, but it works well for me to develop small WordPress plugins. I would recommend using DeepSeek R1 and DeepSeek V3, but it keeps getting errors in both Roocode and Cline.
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R1 or Gemini flash are the closest. Neither of them get close to 3.5 or 3.7 or gemini 2.5 pro tbh If you’re using roo, use the google api to get free gemini 2.5, its limited but better than most openrouter free options
Puter
developer.puter.com › tutorials › free-unlimited-openrouter-api
Free, Unlimited OpenRouter API
1 month ago - That's it! You now have free, unlimited access to hundreds of AI models through OpenRouter using Puter.js. This allows you to leverage powerful AI capabilities for your applications without worrying about API keys, rate limits, or backend setup.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › settings › keys
OpenRouter's API Key Settings
Manage your keys or create new ones
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › z-ai › glm-4.5-air:free
GLM 4.5 Air (free) - API, Providers, Stats | OpenRouter
GLM-4.5-Air is the lightweight variant of our latest flagship model family, also purpose-built for agent-centric applications. Run GLM 4.5 Air (free) with API
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 - As of April 2025, OpenRouter.ai ... several free options like Toppy, Zephyr, and DeepSeek R1, each with defined usage limits to ensure equitable access for all users. ... Visit OpenRouter.ai and sign up.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › mistralai › mistral-7b-instruct:free
Mistral 7B Instruct (free) - API, Providers, Stats | OpenRouter
FreeModel weights · Overview · Providers · Performance · Apps · Activity · Uptime · Quickstart · Sorting API Example · Prompt · 56.6M · Completion · 4.39M · Prompt tokens measure input size. Reasoning tokens show internal thinking before a response. Completion tokens reflect total output length. Create API key · OpenRouter provides an OpenAI-compatible completion API to 400+ models & providers that you can call directly, or using the OpenAI SDK.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › moonshotai › kimi-k2:free
Kimi K2 0711 (free) - API, Providers, Stats | OpenRouter
July 11, 2025 - FreeModel weights · Overview · Providers · Performance · Apps · Activity · Uptime · Quickstart · Sorting API Example · Prompt · 2.97M · Completion · 387K · Prompt tokens measure input size. Reasoning tokens show internal thinking before a response. Completion tokens reflect total output length. Create API key · OpenRouter provides an OpenAI-compatible completion API to 400+ models & providers that you can call directly, or using the OpenAI SDK.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › docs › api › api-reference › api-keys › create-keys
Create a new API key | OpenRouter | Documentation
Type of limit reset for the API key (daily, weekly, monthly, or null for no reset).
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?
Kerlig
kerlig.com › help › integrations › open-router › get-api-key
Get API key - OpenRouter - Kerlig™ Help
A step-by-step guide on how to get an API key to use OpenRouter models. Sign up for an account First, visit the OpenRouter website and create an account. C
Pulsarchat
pulsarchat.com › docs › 2-tutorial-on-how-to-get-an-openrouter-api-key
Tutorial On How To Get An OpenRouter API Key
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/sillytavernai › can anyone help me understanding how open router / api key works?..
r/SillyTavernAI on Reddit: Can anyone help me understanding how Open Router / API key works?..
May 25, 2025 -
Hi, I'm pretty new to the AI chat... I am paying like 60-70 usd per month to chat website such as SC, Y***ayo because I had no idea about how API key works and wanted a convenient solution.
However, I want to now try using Open Router and try different models they dont offer from their website and also because of larger context memory. But when I firstly logged in to Open Router, I am a bit overwhelmed how the pricing is and how much it will cost.
I understand what token and context memory is and it seems like they are charging per request which seems to be basically one message?... I would like to estimate the cost but as a just ai bot RP user (not coding or smth), i have no idea how much it will cost per message.
so the questions are (i.e. I want to use sonnet):
Are there any subscription for Open Router?
How much does it cost per message
If you directly go to the provider and pay their sub, will this rather be cheaper in case I dont mind using one model
Thank you so much in advance!...
Top answer 1 of 2
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Costs are per million tokens and usually vary between input and output. NanoGPT has a page that lays it all out for you with an example . Pricing usually differs between providers, even for the same models, so if you're willing to pay, then look around for the best deal for the model you want. Are there any subscription for Open Router? No. OR simply provides access to different providers on one unified platform and does not host any models itself. How much does it cost per message Depends on the model and, if not using OR, the provider. OR pricing is based on the model and is the same regardless of provider. If you directly go to the provider and pay their sub, will this rather be cheaper in case I dont mind using one model Highly dependent. For NanoGPT, Deepseek V3 chat is more than 50% cheaper than the official API. You have to look around and familiarize yourself with the prices of different providers.
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Open Router says for sonnet 4, input is 3 usd, cant it be that it costs 3 usd per message?.... im lost
Cursor
forum.cursor.com › support › help
How to add open router api key and use its models - Help - Cursor - Community Forum
March 30, 2025 - Currently i have added it but i’m having the following issue (Request ID: 338f5711-5436-4019-ba8e-d447ba7affb4)
Medium
medium.com › @mahesh.paul.j › implementing-a-free-llm-ai-using-openrouter-ai-a-step-by-step-guide-8990d3e5cf77
Implementing a Free LLM AI Using OpenRouter.ai
August 12, 2025 - The rise of large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT-4, Meta’s Llama 3.1, and Google’s Gemini Flash has brought powerful AI capabilities to developers, but accessing these models can often be costly. Luckily, there’s a way to integrate these models into your projects for free using OpenRouter API.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › docs › guides › overview › auth › provisioning-api-keys
Provisioning API Keys | Programmatic Control of OpenRouter API Keys | OpenRouter | Documentation
February 19, 2025 - Provisioning keys cannot be used to make API calls to OpenRouter’s completion endpoints - they are exclusively for key management operations.
OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › activity
Activity | OpenRouter
See how you've been using models on OpenRouter
MindMac Docs
docs.mindmac.app › how-to... › add-api-key › create-openrouter-api-key
Create OpenRouter API Key | MindMac Docs
January 8, 2024 - Visit https://openrouter.ai/keys and click "Create Key". In this step, you can set credit limit for this specific key to avoid overuse or keep it blank for unlimited use. Please notice that you won't be able to view the key again for security ...