OpenRouter free model variants
Append :free to a model id that has a free entry. The variant docs say :free is its own catalog entry, with its own pricing, context length, and endpoints. Only models that list a free entry support it. Example from the page: meta-llama/llama-3.2-3b-instruct:free.
Request limits for ids ending in :free
From the limits page. No TPM is stated for these rows.
| Credits purchased, all time | Requests per minute | Requests per day |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 10 | 20 | 50 |
| At least 10 | 20 | 1000 |
The same page then says the higher daily ceiling starts one credit below the table’s threshold, and it prints the placeholder {FREE_MODEL_CREDITS_THRESHOLD - 1} instead of a number. That sentence is not resolved here. It also says an account that has purchased fewer credits than that reports is_free_tier: false together with the lower daily ceiling. A negative credit balance can error even for free models.
If a :free model is in a fallback list, OpenRouter tries the next model when the free model is rate-limited or unavailable. A fallback to a paid model is billed. To stay on free models, list only :free ids, or use the Free Models Router openrouter/free on its own. The limits table is defined for ids ending in :free. The router id does not end in :free, and the router page does not give this table a number, so whether openrouter/free uses 20/50 is not stated.
Price and data use
The FAQ says OpenRouter passes through provider pricing and does not mark up inference. It does charge a fee when you purchase credits. The fee sentence in the markdown leaves {getTotalFeeString('stripe', null)} unexpanded, so this page does not state a card-fee percent. BYOK above the allowance is a fee of 5% of the normal OpenRouter cost for that model and provider. Pay-as-you-go includes $25,000 per month with no BYOK fee. Unused credits after one year of purchase are described as expired on the FAQ.
Data collection: prompt retention on OpenRouter is opt-in. The page says OpenRouter does not store prompts or responses unless you opt in to private logging or to OpenRouter use of inputs and outputs. Both are off by default. Metadata such as token counts and latency is stored and does not include prompt or response content. Provider logging has separate settings for paid and free models.
How to get a key
The FAQ says to create an account, add credits, then create an API key. Calls use Authorization: Bearer. The free-model table’s lower daily cap applies when fewer than 10 credits have been purchased, so the 1,000-request day is the row that requires the credit purchase. The docs do not say a key cannot be created at zero credits.
Other free-tier notes
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-22.