# Zerouter Review

A pay-per-token API gateway giving developers one key and base URL for Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, and Kimi.

## Editor's Score: 64/100

Capability scores 16 because the 18-model catalog, while covering the major frontier names, is narrow compared to alternatives like OpenRouter that cover hundreds of models; there is also no support for open-source or fine-tuned models, which is a real gap for many developer workflows. Ease of use scores 20 because the drop-in base URL swap for Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor is genuinely low-friction, and the MCP server adds useful in-editor tooling with no extra configuration. Value scores 19 because the pay-as-you-go discounts of 77% to 93% below list price are substantial and verifiable against published provider pricing, though the absence of any free tier or trial credit is a friction point for new users evaluating the service. Delivery scores 9 because the provider-marketplace model, where user requests route through third-party official accounts rather than Zerouter's own direct API relationships, is a meaningful trust and compliance concern that the site does not fully address; combined with the tool's very recent launch and near-zero public user sentiment, confidence in consistent, reliable delivery is low.

## Pros
- Genuine, published discounts of 77% to 93% below official list prices on major frontier models, with rates that refresh hourly and are verifiable against provider pricing pages.
- Drop-in compatibility with Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor via OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible endpoints; no client code changes required beyond base URL and key.
- The MCP server adds live model comparison across two to four models in parallel, returning token usage, latency, and estimated cost per response, which is useful for model selection decisions.

## Cons
- Traffic routes through third-party provider accounts in a marketplace model, not through Zerouter's own API relationships, which introduces a trust and compliance risk that a direct Anthropic or OpenAI account does not carry.
- The model catalog is limited to 18 models across five providers; there is no access to open-source models, fine-tuned variants, or any provider outside Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, and Moonshot AI.
- No free tier exists; developers must fund an account before making any API calls, and there is no stated minimum deposit amount or trial credit published on the pricing page.

## Pricing

Paid.
- Pay-As-You-Go: From $0.023 per million input tokens

Pricing reflects what we saw at the time of review (2026-10). Confirm current pricing on the official site.

Category: AI Coding & Dev Tools (https://aitoolseekers.com/category/ai-coding-dev-tools)
Official site: https://zerouter.ai/
Last verified by a human: 2026-10-28

Reviewed by a human at AI Tool Seekers, a hand-reviewed AI tools directory. Every listed tool is verified by a person before publishing. Scores are editorial opinions from a fixed rubric (capability, ease of use, value, delivery on promise) and cannot be bought; there is no pay-to-rank.
Directory: https://aitoolseekers.com
This review: https://aitoolseekers.com/tools/zerouter
Methodology: https://aitoolseekers.com/how-verification-works

## Verdict

Zerouter is the right pick for solo developers and small teams running Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Cursor who want to cut API spend without rewiring their toolchain. Its discount depth is real, with some models priced up to 93% below official list, but the model catalog of 18 models is narrower than OpenRouter's hundreds, and the provider-marketplace model raises questions about whose infrastructure is actually serving your requests. If you need broad model coverage beyond the five named providers, look elsewhere.

Best for: Developers using Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Cursor who want multi-provider access at below-list token prices.
Not for: Teams needing broad open-source or niche model access beyond the five supported providers.

## Overview

Zerouter is an API gateway, not a model provider. It sits between your coding tool and the official APIs of Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, and Moonshot AI, accepting the same request format those tools already send and forwarding it to the real model. The pitch is simple: change the base URL and API key in Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Cursor, and you immediately get access to 18 frontier models at rates the site claims are up to 93% below official list prices, with no subscription fee attached.

The discount mechanism is worth understanding before you trust it. Zerouter runs a provider marketplace where holders of official AI accounts with unused quota route traffic through the gateway. Every settled request splits revenue 80/20 between Zerouter and the provider. That means your prompts are not going through Zerouter's own Anthropic or OpenAI account; they are going through a third party's account. The site states that credentials are encrypted and egress is pinned, but the trust model is meaningfully different from a direct API relationship.

On the feature side, the MCP server (zerouter-mcp) is a practical addition. It exposes four tools inside Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client: chat with any model, compare two to four models in parallel with latency and cost data, list available models, and look up live per-token pricing. The pricing lookup requires no API key, which is a useful freebie for anyone shopping rates.

The catalog currently covers 18 models across five providers: seven Anthropic, twelve OpenAI (including GLM models routed through OpenAI-compatible endpoints), three Google, three xAI, and two Moonshot AI. That is a focused frontier-only list. If your workflow touches open-source models, fine-tuned variants, or providers outside these five, Zerouter has nothing for you.

## Who should use it

The clearest fit is a solo developer or small engineering team already running Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Cursor who is paying full Anthropic or OpenAI list prices and wants to reduce that bill without changing their workflow. Swapping the base URL and key takes minutes, and the per-token savings on high-volume models like Claude Opus 5.5 (77% below list) or GPT-6 Astra (89% below list) are substantial if you are burning millions of tokens a month on coding agents.

Developers who need open-source models, fine-tuned checkpoints, or providers outside the five Zerouter supports should look at TokenPricing (already in our directory) for rate comparison across 627 models and 236 providers, and route directly through those providers' own APIs. Teams with strict data-handling requirements who cannot accept a third-party marketplace model sitting between their code and the official API should also skip Zerouter entirely and pay list price for a direct provider relationship.

## FAQ

Q: How much does Zerouter actually cost?
A: There is no subscription. You pay per million tokens at published rates. The cheapest model is Claude Haiku 5.5 at $0.023 per million input tokens and $0.12 per million output tokens. Claude Opus 5.5 costs $0.93 input / $4.65 output per million tokens, compared to Anthropic's list price of $4.00 / $20.00.

Q: Is there a free tier or trial credits?
A: No free tier is listed on the pricing page. The pricing lookup tool in the MCP server works without an API key, but making actual model calls requires a funded Zerouter account. No trial credit amount is published.

Q: How does Zerouter offer prices so far below official list?
A: Zerouter operates a provider marketplace where holders of official AI accounts with unused quota route traffic through the gateway. Each settled request splits revenue 80/20 between Zerouter and the provider. Your requests go through a third party's official account, not Zerouter's own direct API relationship with Anthropic or OpenAI.

Q: Which tools and clients does Zerouter work with?
A: It works with Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, Claude Desktop, and any client that accepts a custom base URL for OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible APIs. Setup requires only changing the base URL to api.zerouter.ai and swapping in a Zerouter API key.

Q: How many models does Zerouter support?
A: The catalog covers 18 frontier models across five providers: Anthropic (7 models including Claude Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, and Haiku 5.5), OpenAI (12 models including GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6 Sol), Google (3 Gemini models), xAI (3 Grok models), and Moonshot AI (2 Kimi models). Open-source and other providers are not supported.

Q: What is the MCP server and do I need it?
A: The zerouter-mcp package is an optional MCP server that adds four tools inside Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client: chat with a model, compare two to four models in parallel with latency and cost data, list available models, and look up live pricing. The pricing and model-listing tools work without an API key; chat and compare require one.