Inference.net lists 2 models and OpenRouter 6. OpenRouter is cheaper on a typical model ($-1000000.0000 per 1M tokens median). Below: line-up, price tiers, the cheapest model for each capability, and what each costs for five real workloads.
| Inference.net | OpenRouter | |
|---|---|---|
| Models listed | 2 | 6 |
| Models with published pricing | 2 | 6 |
| Typical price (median, 3:1 blend per 1M) | $0.08 | $-1000000.0000 |
| Cheapest paid model | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo ($0.06) | Auto Router ($-1000000.0000) |
| Longest context | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Small (128K) | Auto Router (2M) |
| Free models | 0 | 1 |
| Newest model | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Small (2026-09-12) | Auto Router (Beta) (2026-07-17) |
| Price changes in the last 90 days | 0 | 0 |
For each workload: the cheapest model from each provider that can actually do it (fits the context window; tool calling required for the agent), and its monthly cost at list price.
| Workload (per month) | Inference.net | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Customer-support chatbot 50,000 conversations — each a 6-turn conversation | $5.25 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo | $-95000000.0000 with Auto Router |
| RAG search over documents 20,000 questions — each a question answered from ~8 retrieved passages | $5.10 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo | $-130000000.0000 with Auto Router |
| Coding / tool-using agent 2,000 tasks — each a multi-step task with tool calls and file context | no suitable model | $-132000000.0000 with Auto Router |
| Batch summarisation 10,000 documents — each a 6,000-word report summarised to a page | $3.30 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo | $-86000000.0000 with Auto Router |
| Long-document analysis 500 documents — each a 150-page contract or codebase read in one pass | $1.65 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo | $-51000000.0000 with Auto Router |
| You need | Inference.net | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Any model | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo ($0.06) | Auto Router ($-1000000.0000) |
| With tool calling | none listed | Auto Router ($-1000000.0000) |
| With image input | none listed | Auto Router ($-1000000.0000) |
| With reasoning mode | none listed | Auto Router ($-1000000.0000) |
| 128K+ context | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo ($0.06) | Auto Router ($-1000000.0000) |
| 1M+ context | none listed | Auto Router ($-1000000.0000) |
| Model type | Inference.net | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| text+image+file+audio+video->text+image | 0 | 2 |
| text+image->text | 0 | 1 |
| text->text | 2 | 3 |
| Price per 1M (3:1 blend) | Inference.net | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 | 1 |
| Under $0.50 | 2 | 0 |
| $0.50 – $3 | 0 | 0 |
| $3 – $10 | 0 | 0 |
| $10 and up | 0 | 0 |
OpenRouter is cheaper on a typical model: a median of $-1000000.0000 per 1M tokens (3:1 input/output) against $0.08 for Inference.net. The cheapest paid models are Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo at $0.06 and Auto Router at $-1000000.0000.
It depends on the job: OpenRouter offers the broader line-up (2 models vs 6), OpenRouter the lower typical price, OpenRouter the longest context (2M tokens). The workload table above shows which wins for chat, RAG, agents, batch jobs and long documents.
OpenRouter: Inference.net lists 2 models and OpenRouter lists 6.
OpenRouter: Inference.net's longest is Inference.net: Schematron V2 Small at 128K tokens; OpenRouter's is Auto Router at 2M.
Inference.net: none. OpenRouter: 1 free model (e.g. Free Models Router).
Inference.net: 0 of 2 models accept images. OpenRouter: 3 of 6.