OpenRouter, explained: one account for every AI model

OpenRouter is a service that gives you hundreds of AI models (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Llama, Qwen, and many more) through one account, one balance, and one API. Instead of signing up with every AI company, you add credits to OpenRouter and use whichever model fits the job.

Stormi uses OpenRouter so every bot can run on a different model, and so you can pay model providers directly if you want to.

What OpenRouter does

• One account, many providers. Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, DeepSeek, Mistral, Meta's open models, and dozens more.
• One balance. You buy credits once and spend them on any model.
• Routing. When a model is offered by several providers, OpenRouter picks a fast, available one and falls back if one is down.
• Auto Router. Choose openrouter/auto and OpenRouter picks a model per request based on the prompt.
• Usage and limits. See spend per model and set limits on each key.

How OpenRouter pricing works

Models are priced per token: a token is roughly three-quarters of a word. Each model lists a price for input tokens (what the model reads) and output tokens (what it writes), usually per million tokens.

OpenRouter passes through the providers' per-token prices and charges a small fee when you buy credits. Check openrouter.ai for current fees and each model's price.

What that means in practice: small, fast models cost a tiny fraction of a cent per request; the largest reasoning models can cost a few cents for a long task. We worked through real examples in how much AI agents cost to run.

Why one account for every model matters for agents

No single model is best at everything:

• Triage and summaries need speed and low cost.
• Research needs long context and careful reading.
• Code review needs a strong coding model.
• Tool use needs a model that calls tools reliably.

With OpenRouter, each of your AI agents can use the right one, and you can switch when a better model ships, without new accounts. See which AI model to use for agents.

Using OpenRouter with Stormi

You have two options:

1. Do nothing. Bots start on Stormi's own OpenRouter account.
2. Connect your own account. In Settings › OpenRouter, tap Connect OpenRouter. You sign in on OpenRouter's page ("Sign in with OpenRouter"), and Stormi gets a key for your account. From then on every bot runs on your credits.

When you connect:

• Your key is encrypted on Stormi's server and never sent to your iPhone.
• Settings › Usage shows your key's spend today, this week, and this month, plus Stormi's own breakdown by bot and model.
• Disconnecting makes Stormi forget the key. To revoke it entirely, delete it in your OpenRouter account.

Picking a model in Stormi

Open a bot, tap Model, and browse by provider. Each model has a spec sheet: context length, price, and what it supports. The picker shows the models that read images and call tools, which is what bots need. You can also pick Auto and let OpenRouter decide per request.