Mmastodon TechnologySoftware first seen 5 h ago, last 5 h ago, peak #7
OpenRouter's 5.5% fee prompts cost comparison with self-hosting
Original: OpenRouter's fee is 5.5% at the credit door, not per-token markup. Honest math on gateway vs direct vs self-hosted LiteL
Developers are debating OpenRouter's pricing model, noting the service charges a 5.5% fee when users add credits rather than a per-token markup on API calls. A breakdown compares the total cost of routing AI requests through OpenRouter versus paying providers directly or self-hosting an open-source proxy like LiteLLM, offering a decision rule for choosing between the three approaches.
Why now: Developers weighing AI gateway costs are interested in how much convenience via a unified API actually adds over going direct or self-hosting.
Evidence
- OpenRouter's fee is 5.5% at the credit door, not per-token markup. Honest math on gateway vs direct vs self-hosted LiteLLM, with a decision rule. # ai # programming # productivity # webdev # software # coding # development # engineering # inclusive # community OpenRouter vs… · hackaday@www.urbanmind.net · 4
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