NanoGPT vs OpenRouter: which should you use?
NanoGPT is the cheaper of the two: list price with no markup or deposit fee, plus a $12 subscription for open-weight models. OpenRouter adds 5.5% on credits but has free models, free use of your own keys up to $25,000 a month, and EU routing on Business plans.
NanoGPT and OpenRouter side by side
| NanoGPT | OpenRouter | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee on tokens | None when NanoGPT picks the provider; 5% to pin one | 5.5% on card credit purchases ($0.80 minimum), 8% on Business |
| Your own keys | 5% of the model's normal price | Free up to $25,000 of list-price use a month, then 5% |
| Subscription | PRO $12 a month: 60M input tokens a week on 315 open-weight models | None |
| Free tier | None; deposits from $1 | 25+ free models, 50 requests a day, 1,000 after $10 of credit |
| Text models | 641 | 500+ from 80+ providers |
| Auto router | auto-model, by category and global user preference; included in PRO | openrouter/auto, by community spend per task type; pareto-code by coding score |
| Spend caps | Daily, weekly or monthly caps per key | Credit limit per key with daily, weekly or monthly reset |
| Privacy and EU | Zero-data-retention routing option | ZDR policies; EU in-region routing on Business and Enterprise |
| Claude Code | Native, base URL nano-gpt.com/api/v1 | Native, base URL openrouter.ai/api |
From nano-gpt.com/pricing, docs.nano-gpt.com, openrouter.ai/pricing and OpenRouter's docs, October 13, 2026. NanoGPT's model count is text-output models in its live API.
What a coding-agent month costs
On Claude, NanoGPT's missing fee makes it about 5% cheaper. On open-weight models its subscription is the cheapest option here by a wide margin, as long as a week stays under the allowance.
| Month of coding-agent use | NanoGPT | OpenRouter | Standard Compute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical days, Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $71 | $74 | Standard, $89 ($95 budget) |
| Busy days, Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $579 | $611 | Pro Plus, $499 ($549 budget) |
| Typical days, open-weight models | $12 PRO, if the week fits in 60M input tokens | List price plus 5.5% | Starter, $19 ($20 budget) |
Typical and busy are the median and 90th-percentile coding-agent day in our Agent Burn Index (September 13 to October 12, 2026; Claude Code and Codex not in the sample), over 20 working days. Standard Compute plans stop at their budget; routing routine steps to efficient models makes it last longer.
Which to choose
- Choose NanoGPT for open-weight models on a $12 subscription, list-price pay-as-you-go from $1, or a very large catalog including image models.
- Choose OpenRouter for free models, free use of your own provider keys, EU routing on a Business plan, or the most widely supported provider in coding agents.
- Choose Standard Compute for coding agents that need frontier models on a fixed monthly price: Claude, GPT and open models in one budget, a model chosen per request, and requests that stop at the budget.
The catch
NanoGPT has changed its subscription terms four times this year, including a 50% price rise in May. Plan on them moving again.
Where Standard Compute fits
Standard Compute works like both on the API side and prices the other way round from NanoGPT's subscription: its budget covers Claude, GPT and open models alike, from $19 a month, and the router spends frontier compute only where it helps. Teams get a plan per key and Europe or US rules on any plan.
FAQ
Is NanoGPT cheaper than OpenRouter?
Usually. NanoGPT bills auto-routed models at list price with no markup or deposit fee, while OpenRouter charges 5.5% on card credit purchases. With your own provider keys, OpenRouter is cheaper: free up to $25,000 a month against NanoGPT's 5%.
Does OpenRouter have a subscription like NanoGPT?
No. OpenRouter is pay-as-you-go credits plus free models with daily request quotas. NanoGPT PRO is $12 a month for 60 million input tokens a week on open-weight models.
Which is better for Claude Code?
Both document a native setup through ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL. OpenRouter's guide says Claude Code is only guaranteed with Anthropic as the provider; NanoGPT lets the subscription pay for open-weight models in Claude Code.
Do NanoGPT and OpenRouter both pick models automatically?
Yes. NanoGPT's auto-model picks by prompt category and global user preference, and OpenRouter's openrouter/auto by what the community spends on each task type over seven days.