OpenRouter is a service that gives you one account and one credit balance for many AI models made by different companies. You add credit, choose a model, and each message is paid for from that balance at the price OpenRouter lists for that model. NanthAI Edge can connect to your OpenRouter account, so you can chat with those models in the Edge app.
What does OpenRouter do?
AI models come from different providers. OpenRouter offers a common account and billing service for accessing models from several of them. OpenRouter puts many of these models behind a single service, so you can switch between them with one login and one balance. As of October 2026, its FAQ says that you buy prepaid credits and the platform deducts the cost of each request from that balance. Your usage and billing history are in its Activity tab.
OpenRouter’s FAQ describes prepaid credits and a charge when you buy them, separate from model usage. Check its current pricing before adding credit; do not assume the payment amount and usable balance are identical.
How do you connect OpenRouter to NanthAI Edge?
- Create an account at openrouter.ai and add credit.
- In NanthAI Edge, open Settings and tap Connect OpenRouter.
- Approve the connection on OpenRouter. This is a standard sign-in flow, so you don't copy an API key. The Edge app never handles your OpenRouter password.
After that, pick a model in the model picker and send a message. Edge does not add its own charge on top of OpenRouter's prices. Edge's model picker lists 300+ models through OpenRouter.
To see what you spend, turn on Advanced Stats in Settings. Each reply then shows its own cost, and the chat header shows a running total. Your OpenRouter balance also appears in the chat header, and Edge can alert you when the balance runs low. The full cost view is described on the Price Transparency page.
What about your own provider keys?
OpenRouter lets you add your own keys for AWS Bedrock, Google AI or Azure OpenAI. When you use a model from one of those providers, OpenRouter can send the request with your key, so you are billed at your direct rate*. Edge's Bring Your Own Key page describes this setup.
As of October 2026, OpenRouter charges 5% of the normal OpenRouter model/provider cost beyond its plan-dependent free BYOK allowance, deducted from OpenRouter credits. This is separate from the provider’s bill. See the OpenRouter BYOK documentation.
Can you disconnect OpenRouter?
Yes. You can disconnect OpenRouter from Edge at any time in Settings. Your conversations stay as they are. Only the connection to your OpenRouter account is removed.
Is OpenRouter the same thing as Edge?
Edge provides the conversation interface and features such as comparing replies. OpenRouter supplies model access and the credit account used by the cloud-model connection described here. If you want to understand a model charge, compare the reply cost in Edge with your OpenRouter usage history.
The distinction also helps when choosing what to change. Switching models changes which AI handles the request. Disconnecting OpenRouter removes that connection from Edge. Neither action turns the account into a subscription to a provider’s own chat app.
What should you check after connecting?
Choose one model and send a short question. Then find the balance and, with Advanced Stats enabled, the reply cost. This gives you a reference before trying a longer conversation or several participants. Keep the setup simple until you can identify which model answered and where its usage appears.
If you later add a second model, each reply has its own usage. The total depends on both rates and response lengths. It is not a fixed cost per question shared by all models.
Try it
NanthAI Edge is free to start at nanthai.tech, and the web app is at chat.nanthai.tech. Connecting OpenRouter is part of the free tier. For the setup details, read the Bring Your Own Key page, and see how multiple models work side by side on the Multi-Model Chat page.
