OpenCode Zen vs OpenRouter: which should you use?
Choose OpenCode Zen if you code in OpenCode and want a short, tested list of coding models at provider prices plus a card fee, with team budgets and SSO. Choose OpenRouter for 500+ models, free models, an automatic router and documented Claude Code support, at list price plus 5.5% on credits.
OpenCode Zen and OpenRouter side by side
| OpenCode Zen | OpenRouter | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | Card fee passed through: 4.6% + $0.31 per top-up | 5.5% on card credit purchases ($0.80 minimum), 8% on Business |
| Models | About 80, chosen and tested for coding | 500+ from 80+ providers |
| Free models | A rotating set, for a limited time | 25+, 50 requests a day, 1,000 after $10 of credit |
| Model choice | You pick; Zen says it never routes to cheaper providers | openrouter/auto by community spend per task type; pareto-code by coding score |
| Budgets | Per workspace, user and service account; HTTP 429 at the budget | Credit limit per key with daily, weekly or monthly reset |
| Teams | Workspaces, roles, SSO and SCIM | Organizations; SSO and SCIM on Enterprise |
| Hosting | Docs: US and EU. Marketing page: US | EU in-region routing on Business and Enterprise |
| Agents | Built into OpenCode; no Claude Code setup documented | Built into OpenCode, Cline and Kilo; native Claude Code setup |
From opencode.ai/zen, OpenCode's Console docs, openrouter.ai/pricing and OpenRouter's docs, October 13, 2026. OpenCode's model docs give the card fee as 4.4% + $0.30; its billing docs say 4.6% + $0.31.
What a coding-agent month costs
Zen's at-cost promise holds on headline prices, but its Sonnet 5.5 cache price makes a cache-heavy coding month about a fifth dearer than OpenRouter's. On Opus 5.5 the two cost the same.
| Month of coding-agent use | OpenCode Zen | OpenRouter | Standard Compute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical days, Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $90 | $74 | Standard, $89 ($95 budget) |
| Typical days, Claude Opus 5.5 | $149 | $149 | Pro, $249 ($269 budget) |
| Busy days, Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $742 | $611 | Pro Plus, $499 ($549 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. Zen with the card fee on $50 top-ups; its Sonnet 5.5 cached reads cost $0.20 per million against OpenRouter's $0.10. Standard Compute plans stop at their budget; routing routine steps to efficient models makes it last longer.
Which to choose
- Choose OpenCode Zen if OpenCode is your only agent and you want curated models, team budgets and SSO, or you are already on OpenCode Go and want a fallback balance.
- Choose OpenRouter if you use several agents, want free models or an auto router, or need Claude Code on the same key.
- Choose Standard Compute for coding agents on a fixed monthly price: compute included, a model chosen per request to stretch the budget, a plan per key for teams and agencies, and requests that stop at the budget.
The catch
Both are pay-as-you-go, so neither caps a month by default. Set a budget per user in Zen or a credit limit per key on OpenRouter before the first long session.
Where Standard Compute fits
Standard Compute works in OpenCode like either one, through models.dev, and in Claude Code and Codex through documented endpoints. Neither Zen nor OpenRouter caps a month by default; a Standard Compute plan does, from $19, and its router stretches that budget by sending routine steps to efficient models.
FAQ
Is OpenCode Zen cheaper than OpenRouter?
It depends on the model. Zen adds a card fee of about 5% on a $50 top-up against OpenRouter's 5.5%, but Zen's Claude Sonnet 5.5 cached reads cost twice as much, so a cache-heavy coding month on Sonnet costs more on Zen.
Does OpenCode Zen route to cheaper models like OpenRouter?
No. You choose the model, and OpenCode states its goal is to provide the best options "without downgrading performance or routing to cheaper providers".
Can I use OpenCode Zen outside OpenCode?
Its marketing FAQ says Zen works with any agent, and it serves OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini-compatible endpoints. OpenCode documents setups for OpenCode only.
What is the difference between OpenCode Zen and OpenCode Go?
Zen is pay-as-you-go across about 80 models, Claude and GPT included. Go is $10 a month ($40 for Go Plus) for open-weight models with per-model monthly limits, for a single member.