Is Conifer an alternative to OpenRouter?

Yes. Both give one API key for models from many providers on an OpenAI-compatible interface. They differ in catalog size, fees, how a named model is handled, how cost is reported and which enterprise terms are offered, as the table on this page sets out.

Can I keep my OpenRouter model ids?

Yes. Conifer accepts model names written the OpenRouter way, such as anthropic/claude-opus-5, and serves them as the matching Conifer model. A model Conifer does not carry is refused rather than replaced.

Do I need to change my code to move from OpenRouter?

Usually not. Change the base URL and use a Conifer key. Fields and headers that only OpenRouter uses are accepted and ignored, so an unchanged request is served.

How do fallbacks move across?

List up to three fallback models in a request header. They are tried in order if the model you named cannot be served, and the response names the model that answered.

Comparison

Conifer and OpenRouter compared

Both give one API key for AI models from many providers. This page sets out how each one works, using each company’s own published documentation.

Summary

OpenRouter offers a larger catalog, in-region routing on its Business plan and contract terms such as SSO and SLAs on its Enterprise plan. Conifer serves a named model only as named, reports the exact cost of every request, refuses a request over a cost ceiling before any provider is called, and charges no fee on requests served by your own provider key.

OpenRouter details were read from openrouter.ai on 4 November 2026. Plans and prices change; check the linked pages before you decide.

Side by side

Topic	Conifer	OpenRouter
Catalog	More than 230 models	“600+ models” from “80+ providers” on the Standard plan
Interfaces	OpenAI Chat Completions, OpenAI Responses and Anthropic Messages, on one key	The OpenAI Responses, Chat Completions and Completions interfaces, plus an Anthropic Messages endpoint
Fees on usage	Per-token prices published in the catalog, paid from a prepaid balance. A top-up adds a small processing line that covers Stripe’s card fee	5.5% platform fee on Standard pay-as-you-go and 8% on Business; inference pricing is passed through “without any markup”
Your own provider keys	No Conifer fee on requests served by your own key; Azure OpenAI supported; AWS Bedrock and Google Vertex not served today	$25,000 of list-price inference a month without a fee on Standard and Business, then 5%; custom on Enterprise
A named model	Served as named, or refused. Other models are tried only if you list up to three fallbacks yourself	An ordered list of models sets fallbacks. By default any error can move the request to the next model, which is billed at its own price
Provider failover	The same model from another provider, at the catalog price, noted on the receipt	“If a provider returns an error OpenRouter will automatically fall back to the next provider”
Automatic model choice	The router chooses from a pool of models you set, and the receipt names the model	Its auto router classifies the prompt by task type and selects using aggregate spend by OpenRouter users, at no additional fee
Cost on each response	The settled cost is in the response headers, itemised by token type, and a streamed response ends with the same receipt	Every response includes its cost in credits, and a streamed response carries it in the final event
Cost limit on a request	A total cost ceiling for each request. A request that could exceed it is refused before any provider is called	A maximum price per million prompt and completion tokens. The request is blocked if no provider fits
Prompt storage	The prompt of a standard request is not stored; a response is held for ten minutes so a retry is not charged twice	“Zero logging of your prompts/completions” unless you opt in; routing can be restricted to zero-data-retention endpoints
Enterprise terms	Team accounts with owner, admin and member roles, per-key model scope and spend caps, set up on request	Enterprise lists SSO/SAML, contractual SLAs, invoicing options and a dedicated support team; Business adds EU and US in-region routing

Which one fits

OpenRouter may suit you if: You want the largest catalog in one place, routing kept within the EU or the US, or SSO and a contractual SLA from the start.
Conifer may suit you if: You need each response to state the model that served and its exact cost, you want requests refused before they exceed a cost ceiling, you want automatic model choice limited to models you approve, or you want to put your own Azure OpenAI resource behind the same key with no added fee.

Moving from OpenRouter to Conifer

Address and key: Point your client at Conifer and use a Conifer key. With the OpenRouter provider for the AI SDK, pass the Conifer address when you create it.
const openrouter = createOpenRouter({ baseURL: "https://api.conifer.build/v1", apiKey: process.env.CONIFER_API_KEY, });
Model names: Names written the OpenRouter way, with the lab in front, keep working. anthropic/claude-opus-5 is served as claude-opus-5.
Other fields: Fields and headers that only OpenRouter uses are accepted and ignored, so an unchanged request is served.
Fallbacks: Move your fallback list into a request header, up to three models.
Check first: The moderations endpoint is not served. Check each model’s capabilities on the models page before sending tools or images.

Replace your provider key has the full steps.

Conifer Gateway: One API key and endpoint for every model in the catalog, with the model and cost stated on every response.
What is an LLM gateway?: How a gateway sits between your software and the companies that serve models, and what to check when you choose one.
Conifer vs Portkey: The two gateways side by side, from each company's own documentation.
Conifer vs Helicone: The two gateways side by side, from each company's own documentation.
Conifer vs LiteLLM: The two gateways side by side, from each company's own documentation.
All comparisons: Conifer compared with eleven other LLM gateways and routers, from their own documentation.

Questions

Is Conifer an alternative to OpenRouter?: Yes. Both give one API key for models from many providers on an OpenAI-compatible interface. They differ in catalog size, fees, how a named model is handled, how cost is reported and which enterprise terms are offered, as the table on this page sets out.
Can I keep my OpenRouter model ids?: Yes. Conifer accepts model names written the OpenRouter way, such as anthropic/claude-opus-5, and serves them as the matching Conifer model. A model Conifer does not carry is refused rather than replaced.
Do I need to change my code to move from OpenRouter?: Usually not. Change the base URL and use a Conifer key. Fields and headers that only OpenRouter uses are accepted and ignored, so an unchanged request is served.
How do fallbacks move across?: List up to three fallback models in a request header. They are tried in order if the model you named cannot be served, and the response names the model that answered.