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OpenRouter vs Together AI (2026): Router or Inference Provider?

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

OpenRouter is a router: it resells inference from 80+ providers through one account. Together AI is an inference provider: it runs models on its own platform and also sells dedicated endpoints, GPU clusters and fine-tuning. Both have OpenAI-compatible APIs and prepaid credits.

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

OpenRouter vs Together AI at a glance

As of Oct 30, 2026OpenRouterTogether AI
What it isA model marketplace and router: one account and one API for 600+ models from 80+ providers. [source]An AI inference and compute provider: serverless and batch inference, dedicated inference, GPU clusters and fine-tuning on its own platform. [source]
APIOpenAI-compatible: change the base URL and model names to migrate. [source]OpenAI-compatible at https://api.together.ai/v1 for chat, completions, vision, images, speech and embeddings. Model IDs are namespaced; Assistants, OpenAI-shaped batches and moderations are not supported there. [source]
How you payPrepaid credits; each request deducts its cost at the provider's list price. No markup on provider pricing. [source]Fully prepaid credits: the first purchase is at least $15 and later ones at least $5. API access is suspended at a zero balance; credits do not expire. [source]
Fees and prices5.5% on credit purchases (Standard) or 8% (Business), charged when you buy credits, never per request. [source]Per-token prices per model, for example gpt-oss-120B at $0.15 input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens, with a separate Batch API price. [source]
Free tierFree plan: 25+ free models from 4 free providers, 50 requests/day. [source]No free trial: using the platform requires a minimum $15 credit purchase. [source]
RegionsEU and US in-region routing on Business and Enterprise (eu.openrouter.ai, us.openrouter.ai). [source]A US endpoint (us-api.together.ai) keeps inference in the United States for select models, at 1.25x standard serverless rates. [source]
Beyond inferenceEnterprise plan with SSO (SAML), contractual SLAs, invoicing and dedicated support. [source]Dedicated model and container inference, provisioned throughput, batch inference, GPU clusters, fine-tuning and evaluations. [source]

When to pick OpenRouter

  • You want models from many providers, not only those one provider hosts, behind one balance.
  • 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 Together AI

  • The models you need are hosted on Together and you want to buy from the provider directly, with no fee on credit purchases.
  • You need dedicated endpoints, GPU clusters or fine-tuning, not only serverless inference.
  • You need inference kept in the United States through a dedicated US endpoint.

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 Together AI an OpenRouter alternative?

Only partly. Together AI is an inference provider that serves the models on its own platform; OpenRouter is a router that reaches 600+ models from 80+ providers through one account. If every model you use is on Together, going direct avoids a router fee; if you need many providers, a router does that work for you.

Does Together AI have a free tier?

Together says it does not offer free trials: using the platform requires a minimum $15 credit purchase, and later top-ups are at least $5. OpenRouter's Free plan includes 25+ free models at 50 requests/day.

Is the Together API OpenAI-compatible?

Yes, at https://api.together.ai/v1 for chat, completions, vision, images, speech and embeddings. Model IDs are namespaced, and Assistants, OpenAI-shaped batches and moderations are not supported there. OpenRouter is OpenAI-compatible too.

How does OpenRouter billing compare with going direct to Together?

OpenRouter bills inference at the provider's list price and charges 5.5% (Standard) or 8% (Business) when you buy credits. Buying from Together directly, you pay Together's per-token prices from prepaid credits, with no router fee.

Sources

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