An OpenRouter alternative. OpenRouter passes each provider's price through and adds a fee when you buy credits. UplinkSwitch prices most chat models under the developer's list price, checks every model daily and signs every answer.
Every row names its source and the date it was read. OpenRouter lists far more models and lets you pick the provider; UplinkSwitch does neither.
Side by side
| OpenRouter | UplinkSwitch | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model prices | The provider’s listed price: “We never mark-up the pricing of the underlying providers.” | Under the developer’s list price on input and output for 67 of the 78 listed chat models. Each model page shows both prices. | openrouter.ai/docs/faq, read 2026-10-12; /models |
| Fee on credits | 5.5% ($0.80 minimum) on card purchases; 5% on crypto. Platform fees are not refunded. | Prepaid credit from $10. Each top-up locks your prices for 30 days. | openrouter.ai/docs/faq, read 2026-10-12; /terms |
| Credit expiry | Unused credits may expire one year after purchase. | The terms set no expiry. | openrouter.ai/docs/faq, read 2026-10-12; /terms |
| Refunds | Unused credits within 24 hours of purchase; crypto never. A failed request is not charged. | Top-ups are not refundable. A failed request is not charged, and a refused answer is refunded, up to $5 a day per account. | openrouter.ai/docs/faq, read 2026-10-12; /terms; home FAQ |
| Provider choice | Yes: a provider object in the request orders providers, turns off fallbacks, or sorts by price, throughput or latency. | No. UplinkSwitch runs each model on its managed route at one price. | openrouter.ai/docs/features/provider-routing, read 2026-10-12 |
| Is it the real model? | Not stated on the FAQ. | A daily check sends every model the same prompt and publishes whether its token count held. Every answer carries a signed receipt. | /proof; /statements/verify |
| Models | 459 (its model list, read 2026-10-12). | 78 chat models and 70 image, video, speech and 3D models. | openrouter.ai/api/v1/models; /v1/catalog; /v1/catalog/media |
| Wire formats | OpenAI-compatible. | OpenAI-compatible for every model; the Anthropic format for the Claude models (Claude Code included) and the Gemini format for the Gemini models. | openrouter.ai/docs; /guides/sdks |
When OpenRouter fits better
- You need a model UplinkSwitch does not list. OpenRouter lists 459 models; UplinkSwitch lists 78.
- You want to choose or order the providers that serve a model, per request.
- You bring your own provider keys at volume: OpenRouter's pay-as-you-go plan includes $25,000 a month of such usage with no fee (its FAQ, read 2026-10-12).
Switching · base URL, key and model ids
Point the OpenAI SDK, or any tool with a base URL setting, at UplinkSwitch and use a key from the console. Model ids drop the vendor prefix and use dashes where the developer does.
shell
export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://api.uplinkswitch.com/v1"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-uplink-live-..."| OpenRouter id | UplinkSwitch id |
|---|---|
| anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 | claude-opus-5-5 |
| anthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5 | claude-sonnet-5-5 |
| anthropic/claude-fable-5.1 | claude-fable-5.1 |
| openai/gpt-6.1-sol | gpt-6.1-sol |
| openai/gpt-5.5 | gpt-5.5 |
| google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview | gemini-3.1-pro-preview |
| google/gemini-3.8-flash | gemini-3.8-flash |
| x-ai/grok-4.6 | grok-4.6 |
| deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro-0813 | deepseek-v4-pro-0813 |
| moonshotai/kimi-k3 | kimi-k3 |
| qwen/qwen3.7-max | qwen3.7-max |
| z-ai/glm-5.3 | glm-5.3 |
Questions
- Is UplinkSwitch cheaper than OpenRouter?
- OpenRouter charges each provider’s listed price, plus 5.5% ($0.80 minimum) when you buy credits. UplinkSwitch prices 67 of its 78 listed chat models under the developer’s list price on both input and output. For any one model, compare its page here with OpenRouter’s; both show a price per million tokens.
- Do tools built for OpenRouter work with UplinkSwitch?
- Any tool that takes an OpenAI-compatible base URL does: set it to https://api.uplinkswitch.com/v1 and use an UplinkSwitch key. Model ids differ, so use the ones on the Models page; the table on this page maps the common ones.
- Can I choose which provider serves my request?
- Not on UplinkSwitch. OpenRouter lets you order providers per request. UplinkSwitch runs each model on its managed route at one price, checks the model daily, and signs every answer.
OpenRouter is a trademark of its owner; this page quotes its public documentation as read on the dates shown. All models and prices