# ClawRouters — Smart LLM routing that cuts 70–90% off your AI bill with one config change.

## What is ClawRouters

ClawRouters is a smart routing layer for OpenAI-compatible AI agents that analyzes every API call in 10ms and routes it to the cheapest model capable of handling the task — Gemini Flash for Q&A, Haiku for formatting, Opus only when it truly matters. Unlike routers such as OpenRouter or LiteLLM that give you access to many models but make you pick manually, ClawRouters decides per-call automatically: your agent sends model: "auto" and typical workloads save 70–90% on the monthly AI bill. Integration is one line — change base_url from api.openai.com to api.clawrouters.com — with no SDK rewrite and no code changes, and it is the native smart-routing layer for OpenClaw agents.

## Key Features

- Task-aware intelligent routing: every request is analyzed in 10ms and routed to the cheapest capable model based on capability score and cost — not round-robin or manual selection
- Universal compatibility: works with any OpenAI-compatible agent (OpenClaw, Hermes, LangChain/LangGraph, AutoGen, CrewAI, n8n, browser-use/RPA agents, OpenAI SDK apps) via a single base_url change
- 50+ models behind one API key: GPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, Qwen, GLM — one key covers all providers, with provider quirks handled for you
- Cost dashboard + savings analytics: see what each call cost, what it would have cost without routing, and drill down by end-user, model, or task type
- Per-end-user token tracking: track each customer's model usage and cost separately when reselling your agent via shared keys (via the OpenAI `user` field)
- Routing strategies: Cheapest / Balanced / Best quality; Pro adds enhanced balanced routing with a 30% Opus boost on hard tasks
- Auto failover: if a provider errors or times out, requests automatically retry on the next best model — zero downtime for your users
- Full SSE streaming support, same shape as OpenAI, with no buffering even with smart routing in the middle
- Auto top-up + quota management with email alerts at 80% / 100% usage
- Built-in safety: request size limits (10MB), per-user rate limits, key scoping, and auth validation

## Pricing

- Free (BYOK) — $0/mo: bring your own provider API keys (OpenAI / Anthropic / DeepSeek / Gemini, etc.), all 50+ models available, explicit model selection, all routing strategies, streaming and fallback chains, 30 requests/min, basic dashboard, community support. No credit card required.
- Starter — $29/mo: 10M tokens/month included on system keys (no provider keys needed), smart balanced routing, 200 requests/min, AI cost analytics dashboard, email support. Top-up packs: $10 = 3M tokens.
- Pro — $99/mo: 20M tokens/month (up to 500K on Opus models), enhanced quality routing + Opus boost, 600 requests/min, advanced analytics, priority support. Top-ups: $15 = 3M tokens, $40 = 500K Opus tokens.
- Tokens do not roll over month to month; plans can be switched anytime, effective next billing cycle.

## Main Pages

- https://www.clawrouters.com/ — Homepage: how smart routing cuts 70–90% off AI agent bills, savings calculator, FAQ
- https://www.clawrouters.com/models — Browse the 50+ models ClawRouters routes to across providers
- https://www.clawrouters.com/pricing — Plans and pricing: Free (BYOK), Starter $29/mo, Pro $99/mo, with full feature comparison
- https://www.clawrouters.com/setup — Setup guide: change one base_url line to integrate any OpenAI-compatible agent
- https://www.clawrouters.com/tools/llm-cost-calculator — LLM API cost calculator: enter monthly token usage, compare per-model monthly cost across providers, and see an illustrative smart-routing savings estimate
- https://www.clawrouters.com/blog — Blog: LLM router comparisons, API pricing guides, and agent cost-optimization deep dives
- https://www.clawrouters.com/for-openclaw — ClawRouters as OpenClaw's native smart-routing layer: one config line, zero code change
- https://www.clawrouters.com/vs/openrouter — ClawRouters vs OpenRouter: access to many models vs automatic per-call model selection
- https://www.clawrouters.com/login — Sign in to manage API keys and view usage

## Topics we cover

- LLM routing and smart model selection (what is an LLM router, how to build one, routing architecture)
- AI API cost optimization for agents (OpenClaw, Claude Code, Cursor/Windsurf, LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI)
- LLM API pricing guides and trends (Claude/Anthropic, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, Llama, Qwen)
- LLM gateway and router comparisons (ClawRouters vs OpenRouter, LiteLLM, Portkey, Helicone, ZenMux, Bifrost)
- API gateways: rate limiting, timeouts, load balancing, self-hosted vs managed routers
- Cheapest AI APIs for coding, vision/multimodal, and high-volume agent workloads

## When to use

- Use ClawRouters when an agent or app makes many LLM calls and you want each call routed to the cheapest capable model automatically (typical savings 60-90%).
- Use it to compare current LLM API pricing across providers before committing to one.
- Best for: OpenClaw agents, multi-model apps, and anyone whose AI bill is dominated by a single premium model.
- Not intended for: workloads that genuinely require one fixed model for every call.

## Citable reference
- LLM API Pricing Tracker (weekly-verified rates + price-change log): https://clawrouters.com/blog/llm-api-pricing-tracker
- LLM model comparison index (24 pricing head-to-heads, monthly cost math, routing verdicts): https://clawrouters.com/blog/llm-model-comparisons-2026