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
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/openrouter › is open router free api's really free?
r/openrouter on Reddit: Is open router free api's really free?
August 13, 2025 -

I wanted to know if i use models which have $0/M output and input, if i use there API, will it charge me anything.
Or will it have limits or some kind of things.. i don't understand it clearly

edit:

The below image shows the full details on limit

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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?

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/roocode › other openrouter-like api providers?
r/RooCode on Reddit: Other OpenRouter-like API providers?
April 28, 2025 -

Are there any API providers who have a similar service with OpenRouter where for the price of $10 you can have a thousand requests per day on their free LLM's?

Also I noticed Cline has offered their own API service but their list of LLM's are actually just like OpenRouter's, so are they under OpenRouter?

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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?

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Puter
developer.puter.com › tutorials › free-unlimited-openrouter-api
Free, Unlimited OpenRouter API
2 days ago - This tutorial will show you how to use Puter.js to access OpenRouter's extensive collection of AI models for free, without any API keys or backend setup.
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/openrouter › free limit api key more than 200 request
r/openrouter on Reddit: Free limit api key more than 200 request
January 1, 2025 -

Free limit gives 200 requests per day, and i need around 400, so i have to create new account and get another api key. My question is they check IP or something so i can freely add another key and wrap in a try catch if first one fails aka gets limit? I'm using on a dummy non profitable app.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/chatgptcoding › which apis do you use for free - best free options for coding
r/ChatGPTCoding on Reddit: Which APIs do you use for FREE - Best free options for CODING
June 6, 2025 -

Hi Guys,

let's grow this thread.

Here we should accumulate all good and recommend options and the thread should serve as a reliable source for getting surprising good FREE API Options shown.

I'll start!:

I recommend using the Openrouter API Key with the unlimited and not rate limited Deepseek/Deepseek R1 0528 - free model.

It's intelligent, strong reasoning and it's good at coding but sometimes it sucks a bit.
I Roocode there is a High Reasoning mode maybe it makes things better.

In Windsurf you can use SWE-1 for free which is a good and reliable option for tool use and coding but it misses something apart from the big guns.

In TRAE you can get nearly unlimited access to Claude 4 Sonnet and other Highend Models for just 3$ a month! Thats my option right now.

And... there is a tool which can import your OpenAI-Session Cookie and can work as a local reverse proxy to make the requests from your Plus Subscription work as API request in your Coding IDE ..thats sick right?

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/localllama › code completation with openrouter api
r/LocalLLaMA on Reddit: Code completation with Openrouter API
November 12, 2024 -

I am using CodeGPT (https://github.com/carlrobertoh/CodeGPT) via Custom OpenAI with Openrouter.

With some models like deepseeker or Qwen 2.5 Coder I never get code completion but only sentences like this:
It looks like you're working on a Python function that interacts with an OPC-UA server and performs some operations

With GPT 3.5 Turbo on the other hand it works correctly, the problem is that these models do not support FIM via openrouter API?

Am I doing anything else wrong?

Github issue: https://github.com/carlrobertoh/CodeGPT/issues/759

Top answer
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Unfortunately, in most cases, the models supported by OpenRouter are only accessible via the `/v1/chat/completions` endpoint, which means it cannot be used for code completion. This is due to the request format, with the exception of the `gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct`, which can be accessed via the legacy `/v1/completions` endpoint by setting the correct `prefix` and `suffix` params. Fortunately, you have a few other options to get this working: The easiest option is likely to use our native `llama.cpp` local integration. The plugin comes with a pre-packaged `llama.cpp` backend along with a user friendly interface that allows you to download and run the models without needing any other 3rd party clients, such as Ollama or Open WebUI. Each model is already bound to an appropriate FIM template, so you don't have to worry about constructing the prompt yourself. Simply choose and download the model (each model is downloaded directly from HuggingFace with a nice loading progress indicator). Once the model is downloaded, start the server and you're good to go! However, please note that the `llama.cpp` integration can only be used with UNIX-based systems and the logic for building and running the server is not yet supported on Windows machines. If you're using Windows, then you'll likely find Ollama to be your best friend. The extension can recognize the models you have already downloaded. For other models provided by cloud providers, you can use the `Custom OpenAI` provider. This option is highly configurable for various needs, including on-premise models hosted within your company. Let's say you want to use the the newest `Qwen2.5 Coder 32B` model. One option is to use it with the Fireworks API from `/v1/completions` endpoint, which supports raw input, allowing us to send the pre-built FIM prompt. - Select the Custom OpenAI provider and use the Fireworks preset template - Fill in your API key obtained from their account page - Choose the proper FIM template (CodeQwen 2.5) from the Code Completion section - Replace the `model` body parameter value with `accounts/fireworks/models/qwen2p5-coder-32b-instruct` - Click apply The same model can also be used for other features, such as regular chats, by simply replacing the model value in the Chat Completions tab. We have many existing preset configurations in place. For instance, to use the Codestral model, simply select the Mistral AI template, enter the API key, and click apply. The values are already pre-filled, so the additional steps from the previous example are unnecessary.
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I think you nailed it with the FIM compatibility. I’ve found the free Codestral API from mistral to be really good.
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OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › pricing
Pricing - OpenRouter | OpenRouter
Free‑tier usage of popular models can be subject to rate limiting by the provider, especially during peak times. Failed attempts still count toward your daily quota. Can I separate environments (dev/staging/production)? Yes. Create separate API keys per environment with their own caps, alerts, and activity logs.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/llmdevs › openrouter experience
r/LLMDevs on Reddit: OpenRouter experience
February 11, 2025 -

I am curious about openrouter. Is it just for distributing your api calls to the current cheapest provider? Or are there other useful aspects? Also uses it the normal OpenAi API structure, because I’ve already build a fairly big app and rewriting the api integration would take a bit. Also how reliable is it?

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OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › docs › api › reference › limits
API Rate Limits | Configure Usage Limits in OpenRouter | OpenRouter | Documentation
To check the rate limit or credits left on an API key, make a GET request to https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/key. ... Free usage limits: If you’re using a free model variant (with an ID ending in :free), you can make up to 20 requests per minute.