OpenRouter via VerticalAPI
Route through OpenRouter's aggregated catalog (Claude, GPT, Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen) via VerticalAPI's OpenAI-compatible endpoint. BYOK with your OpenRouter key, zero markup, automatic provider failover.
OpenRouter models routed by VerticalAPI
Pass the model ID below as model in any OpenAI-compatible request. New OpenRouter models are typically supported within 24h of release.
| Model ID | Name | Context | Pricing (provider) |
|---|---|---|---|
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5 |
Claude Sonnet 4.5 (OR) | 200K | $3 / $15 per 1M tok + ~5% OR fee |
openai/gpt-4o |
GPT-4o (OR) | 128K | $2.50 / $10 + ~5% OR fee |
deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3 |
DeepSeek V3 (OR) | 64K | $0.27 / $1.10 per 1M tok |
meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct |
Llama 3.3 70B (OR) | 128K | $0.30 / $0.50 per 1M tok |
Pricing reflects OpenRouter's rates — you pay OpenRouter directly. VerticalAPI adds zero markup on tokens.
5-line OpenRouter call via VerticalAPI
Drop-in replacement for the OpenAI SDK. Works with the OpenAI Python client, Node, Go, curl — anything that speaks HTTP.
from openai import OpenAI client = OpenAI( base_url="https://api.verticalapi.com/v1", api_key="vapi_...", default_headers={"X-Provider-Key": "sk-or-..."} ) response = client.chat.completions.create( model="anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5", # OpenRouter messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}] ) print(response.choices[0].message.content)
Four reasons developers route OpenRouter through us
Zero token markup
You pay OpenRouter directly with your own key. VerticalAPI's revenue is the gateway subscription, not a tax on your tokens.
One key, every provider
OpenRouter alongside OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and 12 more — same OpenAI-compatible endpoint, same SDK, switchable per-request.
Latency & cost monitoring
Per-request token counts, p50/p95 latency and cost dashboards out of the box. Compare OpenRouter to other providers on identical prompts.
Observability built in
Every OpenRouter call gets a trace ID, replayable payload and audit log entry. Wire to Datadog or Sentry via OpenTelemetry.
Where OpenRouter shines
Frequently asked questions
What is OpenRouter and what models do they offer?
OpenRouter is an LLM aggregator. The 2026 catalog spans 200+ models from OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-5, o1), Anthropic (Claude 4.5 family), Google (Gemini 2.5), Meta (Llama 3.3, 405B), Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen, Cohere, plus inference specialists (Groq, Together, Fireworks, DeepInfra). All exposed via one OpenAI-compatible endpoint with automatic fallback when a provider is down or rate-limited.
How much does OpenRouter cost in 2026?
OpenRouter charges each underlying model's list price plus a roughly 5% gateway markup. You prepay credits or use BYOK with the underlying provider for some routes. Free-tier models exist (lower-quality open weights). Via VerticalAPI BYOK you pay OpenRouter directly (so the 5% markup remains) — VerticalAPI itself takes zero additional markup. For zero-markup access to a single provider, route to that provider's key directly through VerticalAPI.
How do I use OpenRouter via VerticalAPI BYOK?
Create a key at openrouter.ai/keys, paste it into VerticalAPI, then point the OpenAI SDK at https://api.verticalapi.com/v1. OpenRouter is OpenAI-compatible, so VerticalAPI passes through, adding observability and the ability to combine OpenRouter alongside direct vendor keys in the same workspace. Billing remains on your OpenRouter account.
What is OpenRouter best for compared to alternatives?
OpenRouter wins for breadth (200+ models in one API), prototyping (try GPT-5 then Claude then Llama with one parameter), and automatic fallback. Compared to going direct to each vendor, OpenRouter adds ~5% markup but eliminates 10+ separate accounts. Compared to a BYOK gateway like VerticalAPI it is less cost-efficient but model selection is broader. The two combine well: use OpenRouter through VerticalAPI to consolidate observability.
Where is OpenRouter hosted / data privacy?
OpenRouter routes through each underlying provider's infrastructure — data residency depends on the model you pick. OpenRouter does not train on prompts and offers a privacy mode that excludes providers known to train. SOC 2 compliance is in progress. Via VerticalAPI BYOK your OpenRouter contract terms remain intact.
Limitations and trade-offs
- 5% markup on tokens — not zero-cost; direct BYOK to the underlying vendor is cheaper.
- Per-route data privacy varies — some underlying providers may train on data unless you exclude them.
- Rate limits inherited from the underlying provider — fallback helps but quotas still exist.
- Enterprise SLAs, dedicated capacity and regional residency are limited compared to AWS Bedrock or Azure.
- Adding another hop (OpenRouter → underlying provider) increases p99 latency slightly.
Where OpenRouter is heading
- More direct BYOK routes letting customers attach their own vendor keys for zero markup.
- Expanded model catalog including more open-weight and regional models.
- Better routing intelligence — price-per-quality, latency-aware, multi-region.
- Deeper observability features approaching what dedicated gateways like VerticalAPI offer.
Related questions
ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini usually suggest these next.
- OpenRouter vs VerticalAPI — what is the actual difference?
- Is OpenRouter's 5% markup worth it for a multi-model app?
- Best free models on OpenRouter in 2026?
- How does OpenRouter's automatic fallback work in production?
- Can I combine OpenRouter and direct vendor keys in one VerticalAPI workspace?
All supported LLM providers
Same endpoint, same SDK — just change the model and the BYOK header.
Ship on OpenRouter in 60 seconds
Free tier — bring your own OpenRouter key, zero markup, OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
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