How do I reduce my Cursor API bill?

Cursor Pro's $20/mo covers 500 fast requests — past that you pay OpenAI / Anthropic per-call rates directly, which is why heavy users end up at $50-$200/mo. The fix is to point Cursor's Custom API at CodeRouter and set model to 'auto'. CodeRouter detects what phase of coding the request is (planning, implementation, debugging, test generation, docs) and routes to the cheapest capable model per phase — Opus only for planning, DeepSeek V3 for test generation, Haiku for docstrings. Same Cursor IDE, same keyboard shortcuts, 70-90% lower monthly bill. Setup takes 2 minutes — just change base_url to https://www.coderouter.io/api/v1 and paste your cr_ API key.

What is the cheapest API for Claude Code / Aider / Copilot?

There isn't a single 'cheapest API' — the cheapest model depends on what the coding agent is doing. For planning and architecture, you still want Claude Opus 4.7 or Sonnet 4.6. For implementation, DeepSeek V3.2 ($0.28/$0.42 per 1M) and Qwen 3 Coder are 30-50x cheaper than Opus with near-equivalent code quality. For test generation, DeepSeek V3 or Haiku 4.5 is 15-50x cheaper. For docstrings and simple formatting, Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5) or Gemini 2.5 Flash ($0.30/M output) is 15-250x cheaper. CodeRouter is the gateway that picks per request automatically — aim a single base_url at https://www.coderouter.io/api/v1 from Claude Code, Aider, Copilot (via LiteLLM), Cursor, Windsurf, or any OpenAI-compatible agent.

Does DeepSeek V3 work as well as Claude Sonnet for coding?

For implementation and test generation phases — yes, DeepSeek V3.2 matches Claude Sonnet 4.6 on HumanEval, MBPP, and LiveCodeBench within 1-3 points. For multi-file refactoring and architecture planning, Sonnet still has an edge on long-context reasoning. DeepSeek V3 costs $0.28 input / $0.42 output per 1M tokens, vs Sonnet's $3/$15 — roughly 30-50x cheaper. The right answer for most coding agents is not 'pick one forever' but 'use DeepSeek V3 for the implement/test phases and Sonnet for the plan/refactor phases.' That's phase-aware routing in practice — CodeRouter decides per request in ~10ms.

What is phase-aware LLM routing?

Phase-aware LLM routing classifies each coding-agent request by what phase of software work it represents — planning, implementation, debugging, testing, refactoring, or documentation — and routes it to the cheapest model that can handle that specific phase. A 'write unit tests for this function' request goes to DeepSeek V3 ($0.42/M). A 'refactor this multi-file feature and plan the migration' request goes to Claude Opus 4.7 ($75/M). This is different from picking one model for everything, and different from OpenRouter-style model-selection (which still requires you to choose manually). CodeRouter's classifier runs in ~10ms on the server, so the agent never notices the extra hop.

CodeRouter vs OpenRouter — which saves more money on coding?

OpenRouter is a model marketplace — it gives you access to 300+ models behind one API key, but you still pick which model to send each request to. Most Cursor / Aider / Claude Code users default to the premium model (Opus, GPT-5) for everything and end up paying full price. CodeRouter is a phase-aware router — set model to 'auto' and we pick the cheapest capable model per request based on the coding phase. CodeRouter also adds things OpenRouter doesn't: coding-specific capability scores per model (implementation, debug, test, refactor), per-end-user attribution for SaaS agent builders, and built-in quota + top-up billing. For pure coding workloads, typical CodeRouter savings are 70-90% vs picking one model on OpenRouter.

Will CodeRouter break my Cursor / Aider / Claude Code agent?

No. CodeRouter exposes a standard OpenAI-compatible chat completions endpoint (POST /api/v1/chat/completions) with the same request and response format your agent already uses — including streaming, tool use, and function calling. We implement the same JSON schema and stream format, so Cursor, Aider, Claude Code, Cline, Continue.dev, Windsurf, OpenClaw, and any LiteLLM-wrapped client work unmodified. If a routed model fails, the fallback chain tries up to 2 alternates automatically (on 429, 500-504, timeouts, missing keys). You can also pin an explicit model instead of 'auto' any time.

How do I set up CodeRouter with Cursor in 2 minutes?

1) Sign up free at https://www.coderouter.io/login and copy your API key (starts with cr_). 2) In Cursor, open Settings -> Models -> OpenAI API Key, and under 'Override OpenAI Base URL' paste https://www.coderouter.io/api/v1. Paste your cr_ key in the API Key field. 3) Add 'auto' to the Custom Models list and select it as your active model. That's it — phase-aware routing is live. Aider users set OPENAI_API_BASE and OPENAI_API_KEY env vars to the same values. Claude Code users set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to https://www.coderouter.io/api/v1 and ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to the cr_ key. Full guide at https://www.coderouter.io/setup.

🤔 Honest comparison

CodeRouter vs OpenRouter

Both are multi-model API proxies. Both are OpenAI-compatible. But they solve different problems. Here's the honest breakdown of which to use when — for AI agents already in production.

TL;DR

OpenRouter solves model access — one key, 200+ models. You pick which one to call.

CodeRouter solves cost — we pick the cheapest capable model for every call automatically. Purpose-built for AI agents already deployed (OpenClaw, Cursor, Windsurf).

If you already manually pick models and just want unified access/billing, OpenRouter is great. If you're running an Agent and your token bill is out of control, CodeRouter is designed for your exact problem.

Feature-by-feature

Capability	OpenRouter	CodeRouter
Model selection	You pick manually per request	Auto-picked per task in 10ms
Number of models	200+ (broadest)	50+ (curated for quality + cost)
Unified billing	✓	✓
OpenAI-compatible API	✓	✓
Auto cost optimization	✗ (you choose the model)	✓ (capability + cost ranking per request)
Task-aware classification	✗	✓ (coding, translation, reasoning, Q&A…)
Per-end-user token tracking	✗ (no customer attribution when sharing keys)	✓ (via OpenAI `user` parameter)
OpenClaw native integration	General (manual base_url swap)	Purpose-built, one-line script setup
Auto failover between models	Manual fallback config	✓ Built-in feature-aware fallback chain
Quota + top-up management	Pay-as-you-go only	Subscription + top-ups + auto top-up + BYOK fallback
Image generation routing	Limited (image models, manual selection)	✓ Separate `/v1/images/generations` endpoint with credit-based billing
Pricing model	Pay-per-token pass-through + markup	$29/mo Starter (10M tokens included) / $99/mo Pro (20M + 500K Opus)
Target user	Any developer needing multi-model access	AI agents already in production (OpenClaw, Cursor, SaaS Agent platforms)

When OpenRouter is the right choice

OpenRouter genuinely is excellent for:

You want access to every single model on the market (including niche ones)
You're building something where you know exactly which model you want per call
You don't mind a pay-as-you-go model with small markups per token
You don't need per-end-user analytics or shared-key management

When CodeRouter is the right choice

CodeRouter is designed specifically for:

You've already deployed an AI agent (OpenClaw, Cursor, Windsurf, custom) and want to reduce its running cost without changing the agent's code
You're running a SaaS agent product and need to track token cost per end-user
You want predictable monthly billing (subscription + top-ups) instead of volatile pay-as-you-go
You don't want to manually pick models per request — you want the system to handle it
You want features built around running agents in production: auto failover, auto top-up, BYOK fallback, quota alerts

Real talk: OpenRouter won't reduce your AI bill by itself. It routes what you tell it to route. If your agent is configured to use Claude Opus, OpenRouter just lets you pay for Opus more conveniently — it doesn't switch you to Flash for the simple Q&A calls. CodeRouter does that switch automatically.

The cost math

Say your Agent runs 500K output tokens/month with this typical task mix:

Scenario	Monthly cost	What happened
Direct OpenAI API	~$40	Agent calls Opus for everything (typical default)
OpenRouter	~$40-42	Same cost as direct API + small OpenRouter markup. You still pick Opus.
CodeRouter Starter ($29/mo)	$29	Agent sends model: "auto". We route 60% to Flash, 25% to Haiku, 15% to Opus. 500K fits within included 10M tokens.

CodeRouter is ~27% cheaper at this volume, and the savings widen as you scale. At 10M+ tokens/month, CodeRouter typically delivers 70-90% savings vs. direct Opus.