1
Audit Your Model Usage
Check the dashboard to see which models consume the most credits. Identify requests that could use a cheaper model.
2
Tier Your Requests
Route complex tasks to powerful models and simple tasks to cheap or free models. One API, different model IDs.
3
Apply :floor for Batch Work
Use the :floor variant for any background processing, data extraction, or bulk classification where speed is not important.
4
Consider BYOK for Heavy Providers
If most of your usage goes to one provider, BYOK at 5% may be cheaper than credits at 5.5%.
How pricing works
Each model on OpenRouter has its own per token price, set by the providers who host it. OpenRouter adds a 5.5% platform fee on top when you pay with credit card purchased credits (5% for crypto). The models page shows the exact input and output price per million tokens for every model, making it easy to estimate costs before committing.