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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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.
Discussions

[Howto]: how can i use OPENROUTER_API_KEY?i am confused to configure these key
Version Command-line (Python) version Operating System MacOS Your question if i want to use OPENROUTER_API_KEY, i am confused to configure above keys,can you do me a favor? thanks! ENDPOINT=OPENROU... More on github.com
🌐 github.com
4
February 29, 2024
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
🌐 r/ChatGPTCoding
10
9
April 30, 2025
is openrouter free to use ?
Yeah, some of the models are free. Phi-3 Medium Instruct , is free, for example. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/SillyTavernAI
9
2
May 28, 2024
DeepSeek-R1 Free API is now available on OpenRouter

Took like five minutes to generate one response, is this normal right now?

Thanks tho! Haven't found any other way to get an API key and exited  I can just plug this in to the existing OpenAI related scripts I have.

Edit: does anyone know how the rate limits are calculated with OpenRouter (first time using it, haven't read up yet, sorry)? I get very random rate limit errors even after an hour of no activity, then suddenly a response. Is it shared by the platforms users or something?

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/DeepSeek
3
10
April 5, 2024
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Puter
developer.puter.com › tutorials › free-unlimited-openrouter-api
Free, Unlimited OpenRouter API
1 day 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.
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OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › deepseek › deepseek-r1
R1 - API, Providers, Stats | OpenRouter
MIT licensed: Distill & commercialize freely! Chat Compare · Model weights · Overview · Providers · Performance · Apps · Activity · Uptime · Quickstart · Sorting API Example · Prompt · 178M · Reasoning · 32M · Completion · 24.8M · 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.
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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.
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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.
Find elsewhere
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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, ...
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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
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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.
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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.
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Gptbreeze
gptbreeze.io › gpt breeze › guide › openrouter
Unlock the AI Playground: Your Guide to OpenRouter API Keys, Free Models, and Smart Privacy
October 13, 2025 - That’s it! You now have your golden ticket to the AI model playground. This is where it gets exciting for us budget-conscious folks! OpenRouter offers access to a variety of free AI models.
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Kilo
kilo.ai › openrouter
Using OpenRouter With Kilo Code | Kilo Code Docs
November 20, 2025 - Sign Up/Sign In: Go to the OpenRouter website. Sign in with your Google or GitHub account. Get an API Key: Go to the keys page. You should see an API key listed.
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OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › openai › gpt-oss-20b:free
gpt-oss-20b (free) - API, Providers, Stats | OpenRouter
August 5, 2025 - gpt-oss-20b is an open-weight 21B parameter model released by OpenAI under the Apache 2.0 license. Run gpt-oss-20b (free) with API
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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
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GitHub
github.com › eyaltoledano › claude-task-master › discussions › 696
Openrouter free api not working. Why MCP need separate API KEY, suggesting to use AI that calls MCP · eyaltoledano/claude-task-master · Discussion #696
June 7, 2025 - the issue is that a model like qwen3 which does have structured output natively might not be given tool_use if served on a free endpoint (this is the case on openrouter).
Author   eyaltoledano
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OpenRouter
openrouter.ai › activity
Activity | OpenRouter
See how you've been using models on OpenRouter
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GitHub
github.com › Pythagora-io › gpt-pilot › issues › 692
[Howto]: how can i use OPENROUTER_API_KEY?i am confused to configure these key · Issue #692 · Pythagora-io/gpt-pilot
February 29, 2024 - Version Command-line (Python) version Operating System MacOS Your question if i want to use OPENROUTER_API_KEY, i am confused to configure above keys,can you do me a favor? thanks! ENDPOINT=OPENROUTER OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://api.OPENROUT...
Published   Feb 29, 2024