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How to Get an OpenRouter API Key: Credits, Payment (incl. AliPay), Free Models

By og.cc.cd · Published · Updated · 3 min read

TL;DR: OpenRouter gives one OpenAI-compatible API and one key for many vendors’ models: sign up, buy USD credits (Alipay is among the payment options), then create the key.

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OpenRouter puts many providers’ models behind one OpenAI-compatible API and one key. You pay in US-dollar credits, so the order is simple: create an account, add credits, then create a key.

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Create the key

  1. Sign up or sign in at https://openrouter.ai/sign-in.
  2. Add credits on the Credits page: https://openrouter.ai/settings/credits.
  3. Create an API key in your account and store it as OPENROUTER_API_KEY (FAQ).

The pages we checked describe the order (account → credits → keys) but not the exact menu name, the key prefix or whether the key is shown only once — copy it as soon as it appears.

Credits, payment and free use

  • Credits are in US dollars. Payment: major credit cards, AliPay, and USDC crypto. A fee is charged when you buy credits (the rate did not render on the page when we checked), while inference is billed at the providers’ prices without markup.
  • Unused credits can be refunded if you ask within 24 hours (crypto payments are not refundable). OpenRouter reserves the right to expire credits after one year.
  • “All new users receive a small free allowance.” There are many :free models with low daily limits, and the openrouter/free router picks a free model automatically. The exact thresholds did not render when we checked (Limits).
  • The docs we checked do not mention regional restrictions.

Before you top up, paste a typical prompt into the token counter and estimate a month of traffic with the LLM cost calculator.

Base URL and authentication

  • Base URL: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 — with the OpenAI SDK you only swap base_url and the key.
  • Header: Authorization: Bearer <OPENROUTER_API_KEY>; optional HTTP-Referer and X-OpenRouter-Title identify your app for the rankings.
  • The quick start uses the alias ~openai/gpt-sol-latest (a “latest” alias) (Quickstart).

Hello world

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="paste-your-key-here"   # never commit this

curl https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENROUTER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "HTTP-Referer: https://your-site.example" \
  -H "X-OpenRouter-Title: Your App Name" \
  -d '{
    "model": "~openai/gpt-sol-latest",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello in one sentence."}]
  }'
# HTTP-Referer and X-OpenRouter-Title are optional (used for app rankings).

# Check your key's limits and usage:
curl https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/key -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENROUTER_API_KEY"

Limits and common errors

  • 402 — not enough credits.
  • 403 — a budget limit was reached.
  • 429 — rate limited.
  • Creating more accounts or keys does not raise your limits. Check a key’s status with GET https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/key.
  • Safety. Put the key in an environment variable, keep it out of Git and out of any code that runs in a browser or mobile app, and replace it if it is ever exposed. The API keys overview has the full checklist.

FAQ

Can I pay for OpenRouter with Alipay?

Yes — the FAQ lists AliPay alongside major credit cards and USDC.

Is there a free option?

New users get a small free allowance, and :free models (or the openrouter/free router) can be used with low daily limits.

Do credits expire?

OpenRouter reserves the right to expire unused credits after one year; unused credits can be refunded within 24 hours of purchase (not for crypto).

Sources

Vendor features and prices were checked against these official pages on 2026-10-20. Products change; if something here no longer matches, the official page is right.

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