# OpenRouter vs Vercel AI Gateway

| Attribute | OpenRouter | Vercel AI Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 66.6 (34% (low)) | 33.1 (60% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"OpenRouter aggregates 500+ language models from 80+ providers through a single, OpenAI-compatible API interface. It offers automatic fallback routing, cost control, usage analytics, and data policy management for teams deploying AI applications at scale. It is indexed under Llm Gateways.","source":"https://openrouter.ai","question":"What is OpenRouter?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"OpenRouter offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Free, Pay-as-you-go and Enterprise. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://openrouter.ai/pricing","question":"Is OpenRouter free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"OpenRouter supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://openrouter.ai","question":"What platforms does OpenRouter support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for OpenRouter, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://openrouter.ai","question":"Can OpenRouter be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 10 integrations for OpenRouter, including Vercel AI SDK, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenAI SDK, Anthropic, Google, Meta and Mistral, plus 2 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://openrouter.ai","question":"What does OpenRouter integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for OpenRouter. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as OpenRouter not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://openrouter.ai/privacy","question":"What security certifications does OpenRouter have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"A managed gateway service that consolidates access to various AI models from different providers through a unified interface, automatically routing requests to optimize costs while offering centralized budget management and usage analytics. It is indexed under Llm Gateways.","source":"https://vercel.com/docs/pricing","question":"What is Vercel AI Gateway?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Vercel AI Gateway supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://vercel.com/docs/pricing","question":"What platforms does Vercel AI Gateway support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Vercel AI Gateway, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://vercel.com/docs/pricing","question":"Can Vercel AI Gateway be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 7 integrations for Vercel AI Gateway, including OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceXAI, Google Gemini, Cohere, AssistLoop and Vercel AI SDK. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://vercel.com/docs/pricing","question":"What does Vercel AI Gateway integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed HIPAA for Vercel AI Gateway. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Vercel AI Gateway not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://vercel.com/blog/category/security","question":"What security certifications does Vercel AI Gateway have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Vercel AI Gateway is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://vercel.com/docs/pricing","question":"Where is Vercel AI Gateway available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | OpenRouter provides a unified, OpenAI-compatible API that consolidates access to over 500 language models from 80+ providers. It features automatic failover for reliability, cost-optimized routing, transparent provider pricing with modest platform fees, and support for multiple deployment and authentication methods. | AI Gateway provides a single integration point for routing requests to multiple AI model providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, and others) through an OpenAI-compatible API. It includes budget controls, unified billing, usage tracking, and automatic failover to ensure reliable access to language models. |
| features.capabilities | `{"caching":"exact","open_source":true,"pricing_model":"usage-based-saas","rate_limiting":true,"deployment_model":"managed-SaaS","routing_strategy":"cost-based","streaming_support":true,"architecture_model":"managed_cloud_saas","automatic_failover":true,"budget_spend_controls":true,"openai_compatible_api":true,"virtual_key_management":true,"request_cost_observability":true,"bring_your_own_keys_byok_routing":true,"custom_rate_limiting_by_user_or_tenant_id":true,"streaming_token_support_server_sent_events":true,"universal_api_key_for_100_plus_llm_providers":true,"zero_data_retention_and_prompt_logging_opt_out":true,"auto_fallback_routing_on_rate_limit_or_downtime":true,"organization_wide_cost_tracking_and_chargebacks":true,"semantic_caching_for_repeat_queries_and_cost_savings":false}` | `{"open_source":false,"pricing_model":"usage-based-saas","deployment_model":"managed-SaaS","routing_strategy":"custom","streaming_support":true,"automatic_failover":true,"budget_spend_controls":true,"openai_compatible_api":true,"virtual_key_management":true,"request_cost_observability":true}` |
| integrations.count | 80 | 2 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Vercel AI SDK"},{"name":"Claude Code"},{"name":"Cursor"},{"name":"OpenAI SDK"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Anthropic"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Meta"},{"name":"Mistral"},{"name":"Model Context Protocol (MCP)"},{"name":"Terraform"}]` | `[{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Anthropic"},{"name":"SpaceXAI"},{"name":"Google Gemini"},{"name":"Cohere"},{"name":"AssistLoop"},{"name":"Vercel AI SDK"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free, 50 requests/day","features":["Chat and API access","25+ free models","4 free providers","50 requests/day rate limit","Community support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"models":"25+","providers":"4","requests_per_day":"50"}},{"free":false,"name":"Standard","summary":"5.5% platform fee on provider pricing","features":["Pay-as-you-go usage billing","500+ models","80+ providers","Email support","Budgets and spend controls","Activity logs and export","Auto-routing and vendor selection"],"components":[{"kind":"percentage","rate":5.5}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"Custom pricing with volume discounts","features":["Fee discounts available","500+ models","80+ providers","Custom rate limits","Invoicing options"],"contactSales":true},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom enterprise pricing and support","features":["Custom pricing","500+ models","80+ providers","Dedicated support team","Contractual SLAs","SSO/SAML","Custom rate limits"],"contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier with 50 requests/day, or pay-as-you-go at 5.5% markup","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://openrouter.ai/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-02T10:53:56.899Z"}` | `{"type":"usage","summary":"Usage-based pricing with no platform markup; invoicing available with no payment processing fees","currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://vercel.com/docs/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T11:08:31.437Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | unknown |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://openrouter.ai/privacy | https://vercel.com/docs/cdn-security/security-headers |

## Capabilities (Llm Gateways)

| Capability | OpenRouter | Vercel AI Gateway |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Openai compatible API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic failover | ✓ | ✓ |
| Routing strategy | Cost based | Custom |
| Caching | Exact | - |
| Virtual key management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Budget spend controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rate limiting | ✓ | - |
| Guardrails moderation | - | - |
| Request cost observability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Streaming support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deployment model | Managed SaaS | Managed SaaS |
| Open source | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pricing model | Usage based saas | Usage based saas |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:19:38.526Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*