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OpenRouter vs DeepInfra (2026): Pricing, Limits and API Compared

By Hisham · Published · Facts as of Oct 30, 2026, each linked to its source.

OpenRouter is a router: one account and prepaid credits for 600+ models from 80+ providers. DeepInfra is one of those providers: it serves models on its own GPUs and sells them directly, mostly per token, with dedicated GPUs for custom models. OpenRouter lists DeepInfra as a provider with 100 models, so the real question is whether you want a router in between.

Each row below links the page it came from, checked on the date shown.

OpenRouter vs DeepInfra at a glance

As of Oct 30, 2026OpenRouterDeepInfra
What it isA model marketplace and router: one account and one API for 600+ models from 80+ providers. [source]An inference provider: it serves open-weight models such as DeepSeek-V3.2 and Llama-3.3-70B on its own GPUs, and rents dedicated GPUs for custom models. [source]
APIOpenAI-compatible: change the base URL and model names to migrate. [source]OpenAI-compatible at https://api.deepinfra.com/v1/openai for its LLMs; DeepInfra notes it may not be 100% compatible with every OpenAI parameter. [source]
How you payPrepaid credits; each request deducts its cost at the provider's list price. No markup on provider pricing. [source]Pay as you go with no long-term contract or upfront cost: add a card or prepay. Invoiced accounts are billed at the start of the next month, and you can set a spending limit. [source]
Fees and prices5.5% on credit purchases (Standard) or 8% (Business), charged when you buy credits, never per request. [source]Per-token prices for many language models, for example Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct-Turbo at $0.10 input and $0.32 output per 1M tokens; most other models are billed by inference time. Priority tier at 1.5x and Flex at 0.8x the base price. [source]
Rate limitsNo plan-based rate limit on paid models: limits come from the provider, apart from DDoS protection on very high bursts. [source]A default of 200 concurrent requests per model per account, not a per-minute cap; above it requests get HTTP 429, and you can ask for an increase from the dashboard. [source]
Failures and fallbackProvider routing with automatic fallback to other providers for the same model, optional fallback models, and an auto router (openrouter/auto) that adds no fee. [source]A single provider: the fail_fast option returns HTTP 429 instead of queueing when a model is overloaded, and a rejected request is not billed, so your own code can retry elsewhere. [source]
Overlap and extrasLists DeepInfra as a provider, with 100 models served by DeepInfra on its provider page. [source]Custom LLMs on dedicated GPUs, for example H100 at $2.90 and A100 at $1.49 per GPU-hour, billed per minute. [source]

When to pick OpenRouter

  • You want models from many providers behind one balance, not only the ones DeepInfra hosts.
  • You want automatic fallback to other providers for the same model, with no model-token charge for attempts that error.
  • You want to try before paying: the Free plan includes 25+ free models at 50 requests/day.

When to pick DeepInfra

  • The models you use are on DeepInfra and you want its per-token prices with no fee on credit purchases.
  • You need dedicated GPUs for a custom model, billed per minute.
  • You want Priority or Flex tiers to trade price against latency on the same model.

Where SentioGate fits

If you already hold keys with several providers, SentioGate routes across them with 0% token markup: each provider bills you directly, and it automatically falls back to another model if one fails. It does not host models itself, so it complements a provider rather than replacing one.

See SentioGate vs OpenRouter for the details, or the free community pool to try it without keys.

FAQ

Is DeepInfra an OpenRouter alternative?

Partly. DeepInfra is an inference provider that serves models on its own GPUs; OpenRouter is a router to 600+ models from 80+ providers, and it lists DeepInfra among them. If every model you need is on DeepInfra, going direct avoids the fee on credit purchases; if you need many providers or cross-provider fallback, a router does that work.

Is the DeepInfra API OpenAI-compatible?

Yes, at https://api.deepinfra.com/v1/openai for its LLMs, though DeepInfra notes it may not be 100% compatible with every OpenAI parameter. OpenRouter is OpenAI-compatible too.

What are the DeepInfra rate limits?

A default of 200 concurrent requests per model per account rather than a per-minute cap; above it you get HTTP 429, and you can ask for an increase. OpenRouter sets no plan-based rate limit on paid models: limits come from the provider.

How does DeepInfra pricing compare with OpenRouter?

DeepInfra bills many language models per token (for example Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct-Turbo at $0.10 input and $0.32 output per 1M tokens) and most other models by inference time, from a card or a prepaid balance. OpenRouter bills at the provider's list price and charges 5.5% (Standard) or 8% (Business) when you buy credits.

Sources

Checked on Oct 30, 2026. Prices and limits change; the linked pages are authoritative.