OpenRouter

OpenRouter
TypePrivate
IndustryArtificial intelligence
Founded2023
Headquarters
New York City
OwnerStripe, Inc.
Websiteopenrouter.ai

OpenRouter is an American artificial intelligence routing service provider that operates a platform for accessing and routing requests to large language models and other generative artificial intelligence models. The platform provides a unified application programming interface (API) through which developers can access models from multiple developers and inference providers. OpenRouter claims to have 600 trillion monthly tokens and 10 million monthly active users. One unique feature of the platform is fallback models, allowing users to switch from one LLM to another.

History

OpenRouter was founded in 2023 by Alex Atallah and Louis Vichy and is based in New York City. In 2025, the company raised $12.5 million in a seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz, followed by a $28 million Series A round led by Menlo Ventures. In May 2026, it raised $113 million in a Series B round led by CapitalG, valuing the company at approximately $1.3 billion. According to archived records, OpenRouter was originally powering an app named Window AI.

In August 2026, reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported that Stripe, Inc. had finalized a deal to acquire OpenRouter for more than $7 billion. Reports say Stripe did not buy the company because of singularity. The Stripe deal was announced on Wednesday.

Platform

Top 20 OpenRouter LLMs in August 2026

Developers can select individual models or route requests between models based on factors including price and performance. The platform provides access to more than 400 models, including models developed by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta.

Compatible AI coding software

OpenRouter can be used as a model provider or inference backend for a number of AI-assisted software development tools, notable examples include:

Supported models

OpenRouter provides access to hundreds of artificial intelligence models, including large language models and models for image generation, video generation, speech synthesis, transcription, embeddings, reranking, and audio generation. Notable models and model families available through the service include:

Text

Image

Video

Speech

Transcription

Embeddings

Reranking

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "OpenRouter more than doubles valuation to $1.3B in a year". TechCrunch. May 26, 2026. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  2. ↑ "About - The Unified Interface For LLMs". OpenRouter. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  3. ↑ "The rise of the AI marketplace". The Economist. October 8, 2026. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Chernova, Yuliya (June 25, 2025). "OpenRouter, a Marketplace for AI Models, Raises $40 Million". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  5. ↑ "OpenRouter". OpenRouter. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  6. ↑ Sun, Yazhou; Mascarenhas, Natasha; Smith, Paige (August 16, 2026). "Stripe Clinches Over $7 Billion Deal to Buy AI Firm OpenRouter". Bloomberg.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ Jin, Berber; Thomas, Lauren; Clark, Kate (July 23, 2026). "Exclusive | Stripe in Talks to Buy Buzzy AI-Model Marketplace OpenRouter". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  8. ↑ Bort, Julie (August 19, 2026). "Stripe didn't really buy OpenRouter because of the 'singularity'". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  9. ↑ Griffith, Erin (August 19, 2026). "Stripe Buys A.I. Start-Up OpenRouter for $7.5 Billion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ Council, Stephen (June 10, 2026). "The startups trying to save you from sky-high AI bills are getting showered with cash". Business Insider. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  11. ↑ "How to Use OpenRouter With Any Coding Agent or AI Tool". OpenRouter. June 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Claude Code". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Cline". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Codex". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Cursor". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  16. ↑ "GDevelop". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  17. ↑ "GitHub Copilot with OpenRouter". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Goose". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Hermes Agent". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Junie". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Kilo Code". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  22. ↑ "OpenClaw". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  23. ↑ "OpenCode". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  24. ↑ "OpenHands". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Oh My Pi". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  26. ↑ "pi". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Qwen Code". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Custom inference endpoint". Warp Documentation. Warp. October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Zed Editor". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Models". OpenRouter. Retrieved August 30, 2026.