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EUrouter vs OpenRouter

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan
Both have one
Public API
Both have one
Higher Trust score
OpenRouter — 87 vs 80 for EUrouter
Best fit
EUrouter: EU companies with data residency clauses in their contracts · OpenRouter: Developers comparing or switching between many models from one codebase
Status
Both up at our last check — EUrouter Sep 6, 2026, OpenRouter Oct 2, 2026

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

Side by side

FactEUrouterOpenRouter
CategoryAI Gateways & RoutingAI Gateways & Routing
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$42/mo—
Public APIYesYes
Trust score80 / 10087 / 100
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, API
CompanyEUrouter B.V.OpenRouter, Inc.
Launched—2023
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Oct 2, 2026

What our research says

EUrouter

A straight answer to a specific procurement problem: European teams that cannot send prompts to a US endpoint but still want the whole model catalogue behind one key. The OpenAI-compatible schema means existing code moves over with a base URL change, and the markup shrinks from 15% to 3% as you climb tiers. It competes head-on with OpenRouter and wins mainly on jurisdiction, not on price or model count.

Pros

  • 173 models from ten-plus providers behind one OpenAI-compatible endpoint
  • Requests route through EU infrastructure, with GDPR compliance as the default
  • Automatic routing by price, quality or latency rather than a fixed model choice
  • Token markup falls from 15% to 3% as you move up the plans
  • The operating company is named and registered in Amsterdam with a public registration number

Cons

  • The plan fee is only part of the cost — token usage carries a percentage markup on top
  • Prices are set in euros, so USD costs move with the exchange rate
  • The free tier's 15% markup makes it the most expensive per token
  • As a proxy layer it adds a hop and depends on upstream provider availability

OpenRouter

OpenRouter is the practical default for developers who want to try or mix many models without opening an account with every lab, and who value automatic fallback when a provider goes down. High-volume teams already on direct contracts with one or two labs will mostly be paying the platform fee for convenience they do not need.

Pros

  • 500+ models behind one OpenAI-compatible API
  • Automatic fallback across providers and routing by price or latency
  • Data-policy routing to keep prompts away from providers you do not trust
  • Free tier with 25+ free models for experimenting

Cons

  • Platform fee of 5.5 to 8% on top of model prices
  • Free tier is limited to 50 requests per day
  • Adds another party between your app and the model provider

Which one fits

Choose EUrouter if you need

  • EU companies with data residency clauses in their contracts
  • Teams already writing against the OpenAI client library
  • Anyone comparing 170-plus models without signing separate provider contracts

Choose OpenRouter if you need

  • Developers comparing or switching between many models from one codebase
  • Apps that need provider fallback for uptime
  • Small teams that want one bill instead of a dozen provider accounts

EUrouter vs OpenRouter: the questions people ask

Is EUrouter cheaper than OpenRouter?

EUrouter starts at $42/mo. OpenRouter has a free tier; what its paid plans cost is not confirmed by us yet.

Does EUrouter or OpenRouter have a free tier?

Both: EUrouter has a free tier, and OpenRouter has a free tier.

Which has a public API, EUrouter or OpenRouter?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

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