OpenRouter
openrouter.ai · 3 records in Compute, Inference, Storage · JSON
Records 3
- caveatOpenRouter
Computefree tieridentity emailcard?limit request-rateevidence documentedstale on 2026-11-28
- caveatOpenRouter :free model ids
Inferencefree tieridentity emailcard?limit request-rateevidence documentedstale on 2026-12-01
- fails: egressOpenRouter Files API (workspace files)
Storagefree tieridentity institution?card?limit per-object-capevidence reportedstale on 2026-11-05
OpenRouter
Compute- Free allowance
- Free-model requests (model ids ending in :free) are capped by a table keyed on credits purchased all time, not on account age: 'Less than 10' credits gives 20 requests a minute and 50 requests a day; 'At least 10' credits gives 20 a minute and 1,000 a day.
- Verdict
- caveatusable, with a named limit or an unprobed read path
- Cost
- free tier
- Identity
- emailcard unknown, phone unknown
- Binding limit
- request-rate50 requests a day binds and it is a request count, not a token count: a 1,000-item job takes 20 days on the no-card lane, and the 20 rpm cap means the day's 50 requests are spent in under three minutes of traffic.
- Evidence
- documented5 sources; a first-party page was read and the sentence quoted
- Freshness
- stale on 2026-11-28checked 2026-10-28 (live); stale on 2026-11-28
| Free tier | Free-model requests (model ids ending in :free) are capped by a table keyed on credits purchased all time, not on account age: 'Less than 10' credits gives 20 requests a minute and 50 requests a day; 'At least 10' credits gives 20 a minute and 1,000 a day. So the allowance with no credits purchased is 50 requests a day, and the 1,000-a-day ceiling requires purchasing credits; the page grants it starting one credit below the table threshold and prints that figure as an unrendered template placeholder. The page also notes 'Making additional accounts or API keys will not affect your rate limits, as we govern capacity globally'. unit requests; metered on wall-clock; recurring-daily-request-allowance |
|---|---|
| Price | none stated |
| Limits |
|
| Identity | email an OpenRouter account; the free usage limits table has a row for fewer than 10 credits purchased at 50 requests a day, so no purchase is needed for that allowance. unverified: the sign-up methods and any card or phone step at account creation |
| Egress | not stated |
| Interface | rest inferred from the tooling the provider documents; not probed |
| Tooling | not stated |
| Composes with | the fallback array is where this silently becomes a paid lane: a pipeline that lists a paid model as fallback bills for every request the free model refuses, which is why the free router (openrouter/free) is the only safe chain. |
| Reliability | no reliability event recorded |
| Notes | The 1,000-requests-a-day figure is not the free tier; it is the post-purchase tier. The no-card ceiling is 50 a day, which is 1,500 a month and is a chat allowance. inference/openrouter-free-ids holds the endpoint and the 401 on an unauthenticated call. |
| Parsed numbers |
|
Evidence 5
| date | source | what it proved |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-22 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | free usage limits table: 'Less than 10 | 20 | 50' and 'At least 10 | 20 | 1000' for requests per minute and per day, quoted |
| 2026-10-22 | openrouter.ai/docs/faq | 'If you have purchased at least 10 credits, your free model rate limit will be 1000 requests per day. Otherwise, you will be rate limited to 50 free model API requests per day', quoted |
| 2026-10-22 | openrouter.ai/docs/guides/routing/model-variants/free | 'If you list a :free model in a models fallback array, OpenRouter tries the next model in the array when the free model is rate-limited... a fallback to a paid model incurs charges even though the first model was :free', quoted |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | with fewer than 10 credits purchased all time, free model requests are limited to 20 per minute and 50 per day; the next row, at least 10 credits, reads 20 and 1000 |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/faq | the FAQ states 1000 free-model requests per day from 10 credits purchased and 50 otherwise |
More fields 1
| facets | {"class": "capacity-shape","free_tier_kind": "recurring-daily-request-allowance","shape": {"vcpu": null,"ram_gib": null,"gpu_class": null,"gpu_count": null}} |
|---|
Unknown values 6
- egress metered: egress metering was not published
- egress terms: a source was read and is silent on this field
- per object cap stated: the field does not apply to this kind of offer
- reliability note: nothing of this kind was observed
- retention stated: the field does not apply to this kind of offer
- tooling: a source was read and is silent on this field
OpenRouter :free model ids
Inference- Free allowance
- Free-model request caps for model IDs ending in :free, selected by all-time credits purchased: 20 requests per minute with 50 requests per day below 10 credits, and 20 requests per minute with 1000 requests per day from 10 credits
- Verdict
- caveatusable, with a named limit or an unprobed read path
- Cost
- free tier
- Identity
- emailcard unknown, phone unknown
- Binding limit
- request-ratefree model ids (ending in :free), by credits purchased all time: fewer than 10 credits, 20 requests per minute and 50 requests per day; at least 10 credits, 20 requests per minute and 1000 requests per day. The daily window is the UTC...
- Evidence
- documented25 sources; a first-party page was read and the sentence quoted
- Freshness
- stale on 2026-12-01checked 2026-10-31 (live); stale on 2026-12-01
| Free tier | free-model request caps for model IDs ending in :free, selected by all-time credits purchased: 20 requests per minute with 50 requests per day below 10 credits, and 20 requests per minute with 1000 requests per day from 10 credits unit requests; metered on request-count; GET /api/v1/key reports the daily counter as free_model_daily_requests with a limit field; the per-minute limit is not reported there. The higher daily ceiling is granted starting one credit below the table's threshold of 10 credits; the page prints that figure as an unrendered template placeholder |
|---|---|
| Price | none stated |
| Limits |
|
| Binding | request-rate the :free allowance is stated only as requests per minute and requests per day, with the daily tier selected by all-time credits purchased |
| Identity | email an account and an API key. The sign-up form asks for an email address and a password, with first and last name optional; an unauthenticated API call is refused with 'No cookie auth credentials found'. The lower free-model tier needs no credit purchase. unverified: any phone or card step after the form, which is behind a sign-up |
| Egress | not published |
| Interface | rest |
| Tooling | any OpenAI-compatible client; curl against POST {base}/chat/completions |
| Composes with | pairs with an agent after a key; the scarce link is the key plus the ':free' suffix, because a zero-priced id without the suffix is a different quota class |
| Reliability | no reliability event recorded; an unauthenticated GET /api/v1/key answered HTTP 401 with 'No cookie auth credentials found', so the API answers and gates on a key; enforcement of the free-model caps is not measured |
| Notes | The free-model caps are stated for model ids ending in :free, and the paid variant of a model has no platform-level request cap. The 50 requests a day below 10 credits purchased is a total across all free models, not a per-model figure. |
| Evidence note | documented the gating rule, the per-minute and per-day caps and the response fields are quoted from the vendor page; enforcement of the caps is not measured, and a key would move this to measured in one call |
| Parsed numbers |
|
Evidence 25
| date | source | what it proved |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-22 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | free-model limits apply only to IDs ending in :free; the tier is selected by all-time credits purchased; GET /api/v1/key reports free_model_daily_requests with a limit field; the per-minute cap is not reported there |
| 2026-10-22 | probe: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions | inclusionai/ling-3.1-flash without a key returned 401 'No cookie auth credentials found' in both runs, which proves the endpoint exists and gates on a key |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the free usage limits table gives 20 requests per minute and 50 requests per day under 10 credits, 20 requests per minute and 1000 requests per day from 10 credits |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the free-model daily counter is a UTC day |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | extra accounts or keys do not change the rate limits |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/faq | the FAQ gives the same 50 requests a day total and 1000 requests a day from 10 credits |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the free usage limits table gives these caps by credits purchased |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the per-minute limit is not reported by the key endpoint and the tier is selected by all-time credits purchased |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the caps are printed on the vendor page |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/faq | an account that has purchased nothing is limited to 50 free-model requests a day, so a purchase is not required for the lower tier |
| 2026-10-28 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the free-model limits apply to ids ending in :free |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the free usage limits table still gives 20 requests per minute and 50 per day below 10 credits purchased, and 20 per minute and 1000 per day from 10 credits |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the table's columns are all-time credits purchased, requests per minute and requests per day |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the free-model caps apply to model ids ending in :free |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/faq | an account with no credits purchased gets 50 free-model requests a day, so the lower tier needs no purchase; 10 credits raise it to 1000 |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/faq | the 50 a day is a total across free models, and 10 credits purchased raise it to 1000 a day |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the free-model daily counter runs over the UTC day |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | extra accounts or API keys do not change the rate limits |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | GET /api/v1/key reports the free-model daily counter and ceiling as free_model_daily_requests |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the per-minute cap is not reported by the key endpoint, and the daily tier is selected by all-time credits purchased |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | the higher daily ceiling starts one credit below the table's threshold, and the page prints that figure as an unrendered template placeholder |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/sign-up | the sign-up form asks for an email address and a password, with first and last name marked optional |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/sign-up | the first name field of the sign-up form is optional |
| 2026-10-30 | probe: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/key | GET /api/v1/key without a key answered HTTP 401 'No cookie auth credentials found', so the API is up and requires a key |
| 2026-10-30 | openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits | 10 credits purchased raise the free-variant daily limit, and the paid variant of a model has no platform-level request cap |
Unknown values 3
- egress metered: egress metering was not published
- per object cap stated: the field does not apply to this kind of offer
- retention stated: the field does not apply to this kind of offer
- Free allowance
- 10 GiB per workspace, stated verbatim: 'Each workspace can store up to 10 GiB in total.
- Verdict
- fails: egressdata cannot be read back out at a usable rate or price
- Cost
- free tier
- Identity
- institution?placeholder, not evidence; card unknown, phone unknown
- Binding limit
- per-object-capper-object-cap 100 MiB
- Evidence
- reported2 sources; a third party said so
- Freshness
- stale on 2026-11-05checked 2026-10-21 (inherited); stale on 2026-11-05
| Free tier | 10 GiB per workspace, stated verbatim: 'Each workspace can store up to 10 GiB in total. When the workspace is full, uploads return a 403 error.' unit GiB; metered on stored-bytes |
|---|---|
| Price | none stated |
| Limits |
per-object-cap 100 MiB ('A larger file returns a 413 error'); 10 GiB per workspace; content-type sniffed from bytes and restricted to PDF/PNG/JPEG/GIF/WebP/DOCX/XLSX/PPTX/MP3/WAV/FLAC/OGG/UTF-8 text — arbitrary binaries are rejected at upload. Upload-open / read-gated: 'A request to GET /api/v1/files/{file_id}/content for an uploaded file returns a 400 error. Keep your own copy of every file you upload.' Only model-created/promoted files are downloadable. Retention: indefinite. |
| Identity | institution (inferred, not read) not published |
| Egress | Files API has 'no separate charge' and files 'do not expire' — but read-gated by design. |
| Per-object cap | per-object-cap 100 MiB (104857600 bytes) |
| Retention | Keep your own copy of every file you upload.' Only model-created/promoted files are downloadable. Retention: indefinite. |
| Interface | rest rest |
| Tooling | POST /api/v1/files (multipart), GET /api/v1/files, GET /api/v1/files/{id}/content. Global endpoint only (eu./us. return 403). |
| Composes with | 10 GiB x unlimited workspaces is arithmetically a chain, but uploaded bytes cannot be downloaded again, so it is a write-only sink, not storage. |
| Reliability | Beta; in-region endpoints return 403. Downloaded files must be created by a sandbox/model, not uploaded by you. |
| Parsed numbers |
|
Evidence 2
| date | source | what it proved |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-21 | openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/files-api | 'The maximum file size is 100 MiB ... 413'; 'Each workspace can store up to 10 GiB in total'; 'Files that you upload cannot be downloaded directly' |
| 2026-10-21 | openrouter.ai/docs/api/api-reference/files/upload-a-file | 'Maximum file size: 100 MB; empty files are rejected ... must be a PDF, a PNG/JPEG/GIF/WebP image, a DOCX/XLSX/PPTX, an MP3/WAV/FLAC/OGG, or UTF-8 text' |
More fields 1
| dead end | {"failure_class": "quota","why": "10 GiB per workspace, stated verbatim: 'Each workspace can store up to 10 GiB in total. When the workspace is full, uploads return a 403 error.'","retry_when": null,"first_recorded": "2026-10-21"} |
|---|
Unknown values 2
- per object cap notes: the field may be stated in a source that was not read
- retention notes: the field may be stated in a source that was not read