Zerouter

AI API gateway / OpenRouter alternative

Helps developers running Claude Code, Codex CLI or Cursor cut frontier model API costs by routing every call through a single key, with no subscription required.

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Community listing

Listing status

1upvotes

+1 · Nov 3–Nov 9, 2026

Community score

—

Founder

Compared against 5 alternatives

Market comparison

Launched on Launch Llama Nov 9, 2026 · #4 of 5 that day

About

Clients keep their existing setup: pointing ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL or the OpenAI base_url at api.zerouter.ai is the only change, and each request is checked for key, balance and concurrency before routing. The model named in the request is the model that answers, with no substitution or downgrade, and input, cache and output tokens are billed at the published per-token rate and written to a usage log. The catalog spans Anthropic Messages, OpenAI Responses and Chat Completions endpoints, including Alibaba Cloud-hosted Qwen, DeepSeek, GLM and Kimi models.

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Key Features

Routes Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and Kimi requests through one API key
Works with Claude Code, Codex CLI and Cursor by changing only the base URL
Serves the named model without substitution or downgrade
Bills per token at published rates and logs input, cache and output usage
Supports Anthropic Messages, OpenAI Responses and Chat Completions endpoints
Checks key, balance and concurrency before routing each request

Use Cases

Running Claude Code or Codex CLI on cheaper per-token pricing without rewriting prompts or tooling
Switching a Cursor setup to Gemini or Grok models through a single OpenAI-compatible key
Tracking per-call token spend across several frontier model providers in one usage log

From the founder

Who it's for

“Developers and teams who want one API to route across multiple models and providers, as an OpenRouter alternative.”

Why I built it

“Zerouter is an AI API gateway and OpenRouter alternative. One API to route across multiple models and providers.”

— [email protected], founder of Zerouter

Who it is for

Developers who use Claude Code, Codex CLI or Cursor and want lower per-token API costs
Teams that want one API key for Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and Kimi models
Engineers who prefer pay-as-you-go billing over a monthly subscription

Pricing

No subscription: you prepay a balance and pay per 1M tokens, with listed prices from $0.007 to $2.76 per 1M input tokens and savings of up to 93% below list price. A $5.00 promotional credit is shown in the console.

View Zerouter pricing →

Zerouter at a glance

01What it is: Zerouter: Helps developers running Claude Code, Codex CLI or Cursor cut frontier model API costs by routing every call through a single key, with no subscription required.
02Pricing: Zerouter pricing: No subscription: you prepay a balance and pay per 1M tokens, with listed prices from $0.007 to $2.76 per 1M input tokens and savings of up to 93% below list….
03Best for: Zerouter is best for developers who use Claude Code, Codex CLI or Cursor and want lower per-token API costs, teams that want one API key for Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and Kimi models and engineers who prefer pay-as-you-go billing over a monthly subscription.
04Alternatives: Top Zerouter alternatives on Launch Llama: UnoRouter, One API for the World’s Leading AI Models and luoluoAI.

Compare Zerouter with 3 alternatives

FAQ

What is Zerouter?

Zerouter is an AI API gateway. One Zerouter API key calls Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and Kimi models through OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible endpoints, billed per million tokens with no subscription.

Is Zerouter an OpenRouter alternative?

Yes. Like OpenRouter, Zerouter gives you one key and one base URL for many models. Zerouter focuses on frontier Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and Kimi models at rates up to 93% below official list prices, and works as a drop-in base URL for Claude Code and Codex.

How much does the Zerouter API cost?

There is no monthly fee. Each model has a published price per million input and output tokens. The lowest rate right now is GPT-6 Luna at $0.007 per million input tokens and $0.036 per million output tokens. See the pricing page for every model.

How do I use Claude Code with a third-party API like Zerouter?

Set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to https://api.zerouter.ai and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN to your key, then run /status to confirm. Codex CLI, Cursor and OpenAI SDKs use https://api.zerouter.ai/v1 as the base URL.

Does Zerouter swap or downgrade models?

No. The model ID you send is the model that runs and the model that is billed, and the usage log records it on every call.