Best LLM Inference Providers

Vendor profileChecked Nov 8, 2026

OpenRouter

OpenRouter, Inc. · openrouter.ai · Last checked:

  • Aggregator (routes to many providers)
  • Pay-as-you-go platform fee

Company status

Active, privately held. Agreed to be acquired by Stripe (announced August 19, 2026), pending close; no closing announcement found as of November 8, 2026. Aggregator: OpenRouter routes requests to third-party model providers and does not run its own models.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · checked 2026-11-08

Capabilities

  • One OpenAI-compatible API (OpenAI SDK drop-in) across proprietary and open-weight models from many providers
  • Per-request and account-level data policy filtering, including ZDR-only routing
  • EU in-region routing via eu.openrouter.ai on the Business plan; US in-region routing
  • BYOK: route requests through your own provider keys
  • Batch API

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · checked 2026-11-08

Who it tends to fit

  • Teams that want to try or switch among many models and providers through one API and bill
  • Teams that want provider fallback with data-policy filters

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · checked 2026-11-08

Pricing

Published platform fees on https://openrouter.ai/pricing (Standard pay-as-you-go 5.5%, Business 8%, Enterprise discounts available) on top of per-token model prices listed per model.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · checked 2026-11-08

Published certifications

Listed as stated by the vendor. Scope can differ by product or subsidiary; request current reports.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · checked 2026-11-08

Limitations to check

  • Aggregator: each request is served by a third-party provider whose own retention and training policies apply unless you filter them
  • Planned from October 27, 2026: all requests, including ZDR traffic, screened for CSAM, and flagged content may be retained
  • EU routing covers prompts and completions; account and billing records may be processed in the US
  • Pending acquisition by Stripe: confirm contracting entity and data-handling terms

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · checked 2026-11-08

Sources

  1. Pricing page: Free, Standard (5.5%), Business (8%), Enterprise plans; BYOKopenrouter.ai/pricingChecked 2026-11-08
  2. ZDR tiers and planned CSAM screening update dated October 27, 2026openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/zdrChecked 2026-11-08
  3. Each provider has its own data handling policies; users can restrict routing by data policyopenrouter.ai/docs/features/privacy-and-loggingChecked 2026-11-08
  4. EU and US in-region routing; eu.openrouter.ai self-serve on Business; account records may be in the USopenrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/sovereign-aiChecked 2026-11-08
  5. OpenAI SDK can be pointed at OpenRouter as a drop-in replacementopenrouter.ai/docs/quickstartChecked 2026-11-08
  6. Trust Center lists SOC 2 Type 2trust.openrouter.aiChecked 2026-11-08
  7. Stripe newsroom (August 19, 2026): Stripe agrees to acquire OpenRouterstripe.com/newsroom/news/stripe-agrees-to-acquire-openrouterChecked 2026-11-08
  8. OpenRouter announcement: the transaction is subject to customary closing conditionsopenrouter.ai/blog/announcements/openrouter-is-joining-stripe/Checked 2026-11-08

Report a correction: [email protected]. Facts are re-checked at least every 90 days.