Provider Comparison · 4 Shared Models
Openrouter vs Perplexity
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 | Openrouter | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|
| Routing mode | gateway | direct |
| API protocol | openai | openai |
| API base URL | https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 | https://api.perplexity.ai/v1 |
| Route-ready models | 111 | 4 |
| Tracked model offerings | 94 | 4 |
| Lowest input / 1M | $0.018 | $1.00 |
| Lowest output / 1M | $0.080 | $1.00 |
| Service tiers | Standard | Standard |
| Regions | Global | Unknown |
8 comparable fields · 6 material differences · Interactive only until provider-comparison indexing and telemetry gates are defined
Openrouter Route Contract
https://openrouter.ai/api/v1Perplexity Route Contract
https://api.perplexity.ai/v1Common Coverage
Models Offered by Both Providers
| Model | Canonical ID | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Sonar | perplexity/sonar | Available from both provider routes |
| Sonar Deep Research | perplexity/sonar-deep-research | Available from both provider routes |
| Sonar Pro | perplexity/sonar-pro | Available from both provider routes |
| Sonar Reasoning Pro | perplexity/sonar-reasoning-pro | Available from both provider routes |
Provider Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Openrouter vs Perplexity FAQs
Is Openrouter or Perplexity cheaper for inference?+
The lowest sourced input prices are $0.018 for Openrouter and $1.00 for Perplexity, favoring Openrouter. Lowest output prices are $0.080 and $1.00, favoring Openrouter. These minima may refer to different models or tiers.
Which offers more route-ready models, Openrouter or Perplexity?+
Openrouter has 111 route-ready models and Perplexity has 4, so Openrouter has broader current route-ready coverage.
Do Openrouter and Perplexity offer the same models?+
They currently share 4 tracked models, including Sonar, Sonar Deep Research, Sonar Pro, and Sonar Reasoning Pro.
Can I use the same API protocol with Openrouter and Perplexity?+
Both are currently documented with the openai API protocol, although base URLs, model IDs, and authentication still differ.
Should I choose Openrouter or Perplexity?+
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, Openrouter or Perplexity?+
Openrouter lists 94 tracked models; Perplexity lists 4, so Openrouter has the larger catalog. Catalog size is separate from route readiness.
Is Openrouter or Perplexity a gateway?+
Openrouter is recorded as a gateway; Perplexity is recorded as a direct route. Gateways aggregate model routes, while direct providers serve their own endpoint surface.
Can I switch between Openrouter and Perplexity without changing model IDs?+
Do not assume model IDs are portable. Even with 4 shared tracked models, base URLs, authentication, provider-specific identifiers, tiers, and request features can differ.
Are Openrouter and Perplexity 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 Openrouter vs Perplexity comparison?+
Openrouter was last observed Oct 19, 2026 and Perplexity Aug 29, 2026. The source register below identifies the records behind the comparison.