OpenRouter vs OpenCode Zen
Everything ever released, or a short list somebody actually tested for coding. Both are pay-per-token; the curation is the product.
Updated August 28, 2026 · Independent comparison — OpenRouter, OpenCode Zen are separate products.
OpenRouter
One key, hundreds of models, pay-per-token
OpenRouter is a credit-based router in front of hundreds of models from every major lab, open and closed. It does not mark up tokens — you pay the underlying provider's list rate — and takes its cut as a 5.5% fee on credit purchases (5% for USDC, which is never refundable). It adds routing you cannot get from a single lab: :floor for the cheapest provider, :nitro for the fastest, automatic fallback when a provider errors, and BYOK at a 5% surcharge. Free-tier models are capped at 50 requests/day, or 1,000/day once you have bought $10 of credits.
OpenCode Zen
OpenCode's pay-as-you-go model gateway
OpenCode Zen is OpenCode's pay-as-you-go gateway: a curated, benchmarked catalogue that spans both frontier models (Claude Fable 5, Opus 5, the GPT-5.6 family, Gemini 3.x, Grok) and open weights (GLM, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek, MiniMax). You prepay a balance, it draws down per token, and it auto-reloads $20 when the balance drops below $5 unless you turn that off. There is no monthly fee and no quota window — your only limit is your balance plus any workspace or per-member monthly spend cap you set. All models are US-hosted.
Bottom line
Everything ever released, or a short list somebody actually tested for coding. Both are pay-per-token; the curation is the product. Choose OpenRouter if you want every model, including ones nobody has vetted for coding; choose OpenCode Zen if you want a catalogue curated and benchmarked for coding agents specifically.
Pricing
| Feature | OpenRouter | OpenCode Zen |
|---|---|---|
| Price/mo | No monthly fee — credit top-ups | No monthly fee — prepaid balance |
| Intro promo | Small signup allowance; free models 50/day, 1,000/day after $10 of credits | Several models free for a limited time; GPT-5.6 Sol 50% off to 2026-09-18 |
| Billing shape | Credits at provider list rates + 5.5% purchase fee | Credits (per-token draw-down) |
Models & Context
| Feature | OpenRouter | OpenCode Zen |
|---|---|---|
| Models included | Hundreds — every major lab, open and closed | Claude Fable 5/Opus 5/Sonnet 5/Haiku 4.5, GPT-5.6 family, Gemini 3.x, Grok 4.x, GLM, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek, MiniMax |
| Catalogue size | 400+ models | 40+ models, frontier and open |
| Context window | Per model; up to the model's own max | Per model; up to the model's own max |
Limits & Overage
| Feature | OpenRouter | OpenCode Zen |
|---|---|---|
| Limits (5h / weekly / monthly) | Your balance; free-tier models capped per day | Your balance, plus optional workspace/member monthly caps |
| What happens past the cap | Requests fail at zero unless auto top-up is on | Requests stop at zero; $20 auto-reload below $5 unless disabled |
| Parallel-agent friendly | Yes — no concurrency policy on paid credits | Unrestricted — balance is the only ceiling |
Access & Friction
| Feature | OpenRouter | OpenCode Zen |
|---|---|---|
| Host agents & IDEs supported | Any OpenAI-compatible client — Cline, OpenCode, Cursor, Aider, Roo | OpenCode, plus any OpenAI/Anthropic-compatible agent |
| Gives you an API key | OpenRouter key; BYOK at 5% (free to $25k/mo at list price) | Zen API key; BYOK OpenAI/Anthropic supported |
| BYOK-able elsewhere | ✓ | ✓ |
| Payment / region friction | Visa/Mastercard, Alipay, USDC; 5.5% card fee (min $0.80), 5% USDC, non-refundable | Card; processing fee passed through; all models US-hosted |
Verdict at a glance
| Feature | OpenRouter | OpenCode Zen |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | One key across every lab, with routing and fallback | Frontier + open in one key with no quota window |
Curation vs coverage
| Feature | OpenRouter | OpenCode Zen |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue size | 400+ models | 40+ models |
| Vetted for coding | No — you choose | Yes — tested and verified by the OpenCode team |
| Provider routing and fallback | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pairs with a subscription | ✗ | Yes — OpenCode Go overflow |
| Hosting disclosed | Varies by provider | All models US-hosted |
The Verdict
Choose OpenRouter if...
- ✓You want every model, including ones nobody has vetted for coding
- ✓Routing matters: cheapest provider, fastest provider, automatic failover
- ✓You want to pin a specific provider for a specific model
- ✓You're not exclusively doing coding work
- ✓You want the biggest ecosystem and the most integration docs
Choose OpenCode Zen if...
- ✓You want a catalogue curated and benchmarked for coding agents specifically
- ✓You want the option to spill a Go subscription into the same balance
- ✓You want free models to test against before spending
- ✓You want per-workspace and per-member monthly spend caps
- ✓You want all inference US-hosted with per-model retention documented
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between OpenRouter and OpenCode Zen?
OpenRouter is a credit-based router in front of hundreds of models from every major lab, open and closed. OpenCode Zen is OpenCode's pay-as-you-go gateway: a curated, benchmarked catalogue that spans both frontier models (Claude Fable 5, Opus 5, the GPT-5.6 family, Gemini 3.x, Grok) and open weights (GLM, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek, MiniMax).
How much do OpenRouter and OpenCode Zen cost?
OpenRouter: No monthly fee — credit top-ups. OpenCode Zen: No monthly fee — prepaid balance. See the pricing table above for full plan details.
Should I choose OpenRouter or OpenCode Zen?
Choose OpenRouter if you want every model, including ones nobody has vetted for coding. Choose OpenCode Zen if you want a catalogue curated and benchmarked for coding agents specifically.
1DevToolStop renting one agent's model pool
Every pass on this page locks a model pool to a particular agent or gateway, and each one meters you differently. 1DevTool runs Cline, OpenCode, Claude Code, Codex CLI and Gemini CLI side by side in persistent terminals — point each at whichever pass is cheapest this month, keep your own keys, and get an HTTP client, a 13-engine database client and an embedded browser in the same window. One-time $29, no subscription.