LLMsRelay vs OpenRouter — Claude-Focused vs Multi-Model Marketplace [2026]
LLMsRelay vs OpenRouter detailed comparison: Claude-focused gateway billing 91% below Anthropic's official rates with Tribute/Mir/SBP payments vs OpenRouter's 5% credit fee and 300-model marketplace. Full pricing and feature table.
LLMsRelay is an independently operated API gateway. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic, PBC. Product and model names are used only to describe compatibility.
Quick Answer
LLMsRelay vs OpenRouter in one line: LLMsRelay is Claude-only with billing 91% below Anthropic's official token pricing and native Anthropic features (prompt caching, extended thinking, RU payments via Tribute). OpenRouter is a 300+ model marketplace with a 5% credit purchase fee, useful when you mix multiple providers in one app. For Claude-only workloads, LLMsRelay is cheaper and feature-richer.
Pricing Math
OpenRouter charges a 5% fee on credit purchases. LLMsRelay keeps the pack price fixed at $45 for 500 credits ($500 Anthropic-equivalent), but request deductions are calculated at 91% below Anthropic's official token rates.
| Case | LLMsRelay | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Buy $100 of credits | $100 gets 20,000 credits | $100 pays for about $95 of model usage after the 5% fee |
| Claude-only billing | Requests bill about 91% below Anthropic (11× cheaper) official token pricing | Anthropic token pricing plus OpenRouter platform fee on credit purchase |
The comparison is not 1:1 credit denomination. The important part is effective Claude request cost after each platform's billing model.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | LLMsRelay | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Models | Claude (Opus/Sonnet/Haiku) | 300+ across 50+ providers |
| Credit purchase fee | 0% | 5% |
| Anthropic prompt caching | Native | Yes |
| Extended thinking | Native | Yes |
| Native Anthropic API format | Yes (/v1/messages) | OpenAI format only |
| RU cards (Mir/SBP) | Yes (Tribute) | No |
| Crypto payment | Yes | Yes |
| Per-key spend limits | Yes | Yes |
When to choose OpenRouter
- You need multi-provider routing — Claude + GPT-4 + Llama 3 + Mixtral in one app
- You want a single API for experimentation across many models
- You're outside Russia and don't need RU-specific payments
When to choose LLMsRelay
- You're Claude-focused — Sonnet 4.6 / Opus 4.7 / Haiku 4.5 cover your needs
- You want lower effective Claude billing — requests are billed at 91% below Anthropic's official token rates
- You need native Anthropic API — code written against anthropic-sdk works as-is
- You need RU payment options — Mir, SBP, Tribute
- You use Cursor or Claude Code — both have first-class LLMsRelay docs