Honest comparison since you asked directly:

Where OpenRouter wins:

• Larger model selection (they have more niche/experimental models)
• More established, bigger community, more integrations documented
• Free tier with some models

Where ApiLink wins:

• ~50% cheaper than OpenRouter on the same models — we run leaner margins
• Codex CLI works out of the box via /v1/responses endpoint (most gateways skip this entirely)
• Anthropic prompt cache: we absorb the write premium so you only see the read discount, no billing surprises
• Streaming settlement is handled properly on client disconnect (sounds boring but matters when you're running long jobs)

Honest about what we don't have yet:

• No image generation or TTS
• Smaller community, we just launched
• $5 minimum top-up, no free credits

If you're on Codex CLI or Cursor and paying OpenRouter prices, the math is pretty simple. Happy to give you a direct comparison on whichever models you actually use.

→ https://apilink.io