Provider Comparison · 3 Shared Models
Anthropic vs Openrouter
Green highlights mark broader sourced coverage or lower directly comparable prices. They do not imply independently measured performance.
Routing Surface
Side-by-Side Provider Facts
| Field | Anthropic | Openrouter |
|---|---|---|
| Routing mode | direct | gateway |
| API protocol | anthropic | openai |
| API base URL | https://api.anthropic.com | https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 |
| Route-ready models | 13 | 111 |
| Tracked model offerings | 13 | 94 |
| Lowest input / 1M | $1.00 | $0.018 |
| Lowest output / 1M | $5.00 | $0.080 |
| Service tiers | Project Glasswing, Standard | Standard |
| Regions | Global | Global |
9 comparable fields · 8 material differences · Interactive only until provider-comparison indexing and telemetry gates are defined
Anthropic Route Contract
https://api.anthropic.comOpenrouter Route Contract
https://openrouter.ai/api/v1Common Coverage
Models Offered by Both Providers
| Model | Canonical ID | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Fable 5 | anthropic/claude-fable-5 | Available from both provider routes |
| Claude Opus 5 | anthropic/claude-opus-5 | Available from both provider routes |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 | Available from both provider routes |
Provider Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Anthropic vs Openrouter FAQs
Is Anthropic or Openrouter cheaper for inference?+
The lowest sourced input prices are $1.00 for Anthropic and $0.018 for Openrouter, favoring Openrouter. Lowest output prices are $5.00 and $0.080, favoring Openrouter. These minima may refer to different models or tiers.
Which offers more route-ready models, Anthropic or Openrouter?+
Anthropic has 13 route-ready models and Openrouter has 111, so Openrouter has broader current route-ready coverage.
Do Anthropic and Openrouter offer the same models?+
They currently share 3 tracked models, including Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 5, and Claude Sonnet 5.
Can I use the same API protocol with Anthropic and Openrouter?+
Anthropic is documented as anthropic; Openrouter is documented as openai. Client compatibility should be checked against each route contract.
Should I choose Anthropic or Openrouter?+
Choose based on the exact model route, price observation, protocol, regions, and service tier you need. The green highlights identify lower sourced minima or broader documented coverage; they do not measure latency, reliability, or output quality.
Which lists more AI models, Anthropic or Openrouter?+
Anthropic lists 13 tracked models; Openrouter lists 94, so Openrouter has the larger catalog. Catalog size is separate from route readiness.
Is Anthropic or Openrouter a gateway?+
Anthropic is recorded as a direct route; Openrouter is recorded as a gateway. Gateways aggregate model routes, while direct providers serve their own endpoint surface.
Can I switch between Anthropic and Openrouter without changing model IDs?+
Do not assume model IDs are portable. Even with 3 shared tracked models, base URLs, authentication, provider-specific identifiers, tiers, and request features can differ.
Are Anthropic and Openrouter prices directly comparable?+
Only at the exact model, tier, region, and token type. The headline minima above can come from different models or service tiers, so they are useful discovery signals rather than an apples-to-apples bill estimate.
How current is the Anthropic vs Openrouter comparison?+
Anthropic was last observed Oct 19, 2026 and Openrouter Oct 19, 2026. The source register below identifies the records behind the comparison.