Criterion Claude Developer Platform (Claude API) OpenRouter
CategoryLLM APIs & Model PlatformsLLM APIs & Model Platforms
In one sentenceDeveloper access to Anthropic's Claude models with usage-based pricing, batch discounts and prompt caching.One OpenAI-compatible API key for hundreds of models from many providers.
Problem it solvesBuilding assistants, agents and document workflows on a hosted model without managing GPUs or model training.Managing separate accounts, keys and SDKs for every model provider, and coping with provider outages.
Free planNoYes
Developer APIYes — docsYes — docs
Open sourceNoNo
PlatformsWeb (Claude Console), REST API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry, Claude Platform on AWSWeb, REST API
Pricing (summary)Usage-based per 1M tokens. Fable 5.1 is $10 input / $50 output, Opus 5.5 $4 / $20, Sonnet 5.5 $2 / $10 and Haiku 5.5 from $0.10 / $0.50 (higher above 100K-token prompts). Batch requests are 50% off and cache reads cost a small fraction of input price.
Checked 2026-10-19		No subscription: inference is billed at each provider's list price, with a platform fee of 5.5% (Standard) or 8% (Business) on credit purchases. A free plan offers 25+ free models with request caps; Enterprise is contract-based.
Checked 2026-10-19
Strengths
  • 1M context on all current models without a long-context surcharge (except Haiku 5.5 pricing by prompt length)
  • Strong caching and batch discounts
  • Multi-cloud availability with matching model IDs
  • Huge model catalogue
  • Provider list prices passed through
  • Free tier for testing
Limitations
  • Top-tier Fable 5.1 costs $50 per 1M output tokens
  • Haiku 5.5 price rises for prompts over 100,000 tokens
  • Only a small, unspecified amount of free credit for new users
  • 5.5% (Standard) or 8% (Business) fee on credit purchases
  • Free model caps are low
  • Another intermediary in the data path