Venice.aiVenice ties OpenRouter for the best LLM API aggregator in 2026, and the tie breaks on what the API user is buying. Venice is first when one key has to cover text, image, video, audio, music, embeddings, and web search, with zero data retention by default. OpenRouter is first when that user only wants the widest text-model router, at provider rates with no inference markup.
We compared five aggregators in September 2026 using their pricing pages, privacy docs, and product pages. Two kinds of API user get different answers here: one needs several modalities on a single key, and the other needs the most text labs. Markup, prompt storage, and agent setup matter to both.
Tl;dr
- Tied for first, agents and product APIs: Venice: text, image, video, audio, and search on one OpenAI-compatible key, 364 models on the API page
- Tied for first, text-only routers: OpenRouter: 500+ models, 80+ providers, no inference markup
- Best prepaid balance: NanoGPT, crypto from $0.10
- Best click-through bot directory: Poe, with chats shared to the underlying providers
- Both sit at rank 1 for different users: pick Venice when the key has to do more than chat completions, and pick OpenRouter when the key only has to reach text labs.
Quick picks
| Rank | Tool | Best for | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venice | One key for text, image, video, audio, and search | Free | Zero data retention by default |
| 1 | OpenRouter | The widest text-model router | Free, 50 requests/day | 500+ models, no markup |
| 3 | NanoGPT | A small prepaid balance | Crypto from $0.10 | No deposit fee on the pricing page |
| 4 | Poe | Trying many bots without an SDK | Free tier | Official and third-party bots in one UI |
| 5 | B.AI | Wallet login and on-chain credits | Usage in Credits | Web3 wallet or Google sign-in |
How we ranked these LLM API aggregators
An aggregator here means one account or one API key that reaches models from more than one source. Two API users end up at the top, because they are buying different keys. The pages we read in September 2026 include Venice's API page and agents page, OpenRouter's pricing, NanoGPT's pricing, Poe's privacy policy, and B.AI's LLM service docs.
One API user wants a single key for text plus image, video, audio, and search, and cares whether prompts are stored. Venice is first for that user, because the API page lists 364 models across those modalities and the default is zero data retention.
The other API user wants the most text labs at the provider's rate, and OpenRouter is first for that user with 500+ models, 80+ providers, and no inference markup. Those two share first place, and NanoGPT, Poe, and B.AI come after them on payment shape and UI.
OpenRouter still lists more text providers than Venice, which is why it is rank 1 for the text user while Venice is rank 1 for the key that has to cover several modalities.
You can use both keys. OpenRouter lists Venice as a provider, with 36 models on the Venice provider page including Venice Uncensored, so a router user can call those Venice-provided models beside other labs. The Venice API is still the path for image, video, audio, and search, plus Private, TEE, and E2EE. Calling a Venice model through OpenRouter does not turn those modes on. You can compare the two in this Venice vs OpenRouter article.
1. Venice: one API for text, image, video, audio, and search
The Venice API page is OpenAI-compatible, so an existing client can keep the same chat-completions shape after you create a key. The page currently lists 364 models (123 text, 66 image, 134 video, and 32 audio) along with endpoints for chat completions, image generation, video queue, speech, audio queue, embeddings, and web search.
The agents page says 300+ models and six jobs on one key: text, image, video, audio, music, and embeddings. The two headline numbers do not match, so check the catalog at runtime rather than hard-coding either one.
Strengths
- One key for modalities that usually mean another vendor. For example, web search, scraping, and citations are flags on a chat call (
enable_web_search,enable_web_scraping,enable_web_citations). - Zero data retention by default, which means Private models do not store the prompt or response and Venice does not train on inputs. Anonymous frontier models still send content to that lab.
- Agent onboarding is short: paste
https://venice.ai/skill.md, add the MCP server (31 tools), or use the CLI, with guides for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Hermes, OpenClaw, Cline, and OpenCode. - The free tier takes no card, there is no phone-based know your customer check, and BTC and USDC are accepted. Pro adds TEE and E2EE for stronger text privacy, though E2EE is text only.
Limitations
- OpenRouter lists more text providers, at 500+ models and 80+ providers against the 364 models on Venice's API page, which is why the text-router user ties OpenRouter for first.
- Claude, GPT, and Gemini on Venice are proxied, so they keep their filters and the lab can store the content.
- E2EE drops web search and memory, so an agent that needs live search and E2EE on the same call will not get that combination.
- API access requires an account, and Venice does not advertise SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI, or FedRAMP.
- Subscription API spend and pay as you go are separate meters. The API page lists Pro Plus at $68/month with $75 in monthly API spend, and Max at $200/month with $225. The pricing table also lists monthly credits (Pro 100, Pro Plus 7,500, Max 22,500) for video, music, frontier models, and API, so read both pages before you forecast a bill.
Pricing
Free, then Pro at $18/month, Pro Plus at $68/month, and Max at $200/month. Pay as you go runs at published rates, documented at docs.venice.ai, and new paid subscriptions include a $5 welcome balance.
- Best for: An agent or app that should generate text, images, video, speech, and search on one key, with a no-storage default.
- Verdict: Tied for first, and this is the key when the API user needs more than chat completions. OpenRouter holds the other first place, for the user who wants the wider text-lab menu.
1. OpenRouter: the widest text-model router
OpenRouter's product is the router itself. Pay as you go includes 500+ models and 80+ providers, no minimum spend, and inference at the provider's rate with no markup. The free plan covers 25+ models and 50 requests a day, and past that you buy credits: card purchases add 5.5% with an $0.80 minimum, and crypto top-ups add 5%.
Strengths
- The largest model and provider counts of the five aggregators here.
- No inference markup, which matters when you are already comparing lab list prices.
- Prompt text is not stored by default, though metadata (tokens, latency, model, timestamps) is, and prompt logging is opt-in.
- A normal developer integration: one key, many IDs, fallbacks between providers.
- Venice is one of those providers, and the Venice provider page lists 36 models, so the text-router user can call Venice-provided IDs without giving up the other labs.
Limitations
- The upstream provider receives the prompt, so the router's privacy policy is not the same as the lab's.
- OpenRouter is a text-model router, so image, video, and music on one key come from the Venice catalog rather than the OpenRouter one.
- The 5.5% credit fee is easy to forget when someone describes the service as "no markup."
- An account is required, and this is not a consumer studio that skips the know your customer check.
Pricing
Free, then pay as you go, plus Enterprise. Fee details are in the FAQ.
- Best for: Backend products that call many text models and want provider list prices.
- Verdict: Tied for first, for the text-router user. If you only ship chat completions across many labs, start here, and then read the upstream policy for the ID you pin in production. If that same key must also generate images, video, or speech, Venice is the rank-1 pick for that user.
3. NanoGPT: aggregator behavior on a prepaid balance
NanoGPT sells pay-as-you-go chat, media, and API access, and it positions itself on privacy. You add funds from the balance page by card or crypto. The pricing page lists no deposit fees, crypto from $0.10, and card from $1, and the deposit docs include BTC and USDC. It is a smaller aggregator than OpenRouter, and its privacy specification is thinner than Venice's.
Strengths
- Low crypto minimum, which is practical for a spike test.
- One balance for the chat UI and the API.
- No deposit fee in the published pricing.
Limitations
- We did not find a published model count comparable to "500+" or "364", so NanoGPT places here on payment shape rather than on coverage.
- There is no documented no-storage default at the level of OpenRouter's data-collection guide or Venice Private mode.
- NanoGPT does not document TEE, E2EE, or an uncensored policy.
Pricing
Prepaid. Crypto from $0.10. Card from $1.
- Best for: Solo tests where a balance is simpler than a subscription, and the prompts are not sensitive.
- Verdict: A reasonable third aggregator if you want flexibility in how you pay, though it does not displace OpenRouter on coverage or Venice on modalities plus retention.
4. Poe: a bot aggregator for people, not a production router
Poe gives one account access to many frontier models and community bots, which is aggregation at the UI layer. The privacy policy says chat contents are shared with the underlying providers. Official major-lab bots generally do not train on chats, third-party bots may, and the privacy shield icon is how Poe tells you to check. Poe does not loosen a model's content rules.
Strengths
- The fastest way for a person to see whether a model is worth an API integration.
- The privacy shield is more visible than a footer link.
- A free tier, then points-based paid plans. Check Poe for the current price.
Limitations
- Not a developer router with provider-rate billing and documented fallbacks.
- Sharing content with the model provider is the design.
- A poor fit for anything you would not paste into that lab's own chat.
Pricing
A free tier and paid points plans.
- Best for: Evaluating bots before you write code.
- Verdict: Fourth because it aggregates many models for a person to try, not for production traffic. Developers who stay on Poe for convenience will eventually want a key from OpenRouter or Venice.
5. B.AI: credits, a wallet, and a multi-model API
B.AI combines multi-model chat with an API, and you log in with a Web3 wallet or with Google. Usage is billed in Credits, and the docs say 1 USD = 1,000,000 Credits. Fiat options include cards and several regional payment apps, and on-chain payment is supported, though the public docs do not name BTC or USDC.
Plan Pro is $200/month and requires an invite code, and Plan Max is $2,000/month. Most indie usage should be the credit top-up rather than either plan.
Strengths
- Wallet login, if you do not want a traditional SaaS signup to be your only option.
- On-chain payment beside fiat.
- A documented credit unit, which makes the meter easier to explain than a vague "points" balance.
Limitations
- The invite-only $200 and $2,000 plans are not indie pricing, so they only matter if you have both the invite and the budget.
- The public docs do not state whether prompts are stored or used for training.
- Token names for on-chain payment have to be read inside the product, and BTC is not named in the public docs.
Pricing
Credits, plus Plan Pro $200/month and Plan Max $2,000/month.
- Best for: Teams that already pay on-chain and want a multi-model API in that flow.
- Verdict: Last among these five for a general "one API for every model" buyer, and first only when the wallet and the credit unit are your actual requirements.
How do these LLM API aggregators compare?
| Tool | What one key covers | Scale we can cite | Inference markup | Prompt text stored by default | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice | Text, image, video, audio, music, embeddings, search | 364 on the API page | Published model rates | No, on the default / Private path | Free |
| OpenRouter | Many LLM providers | 500+ models, 80+ providers | None | No | Free, 50 req/day |
| NanoGPT | Chat, media, and API from a balance | Not a cited catalog size | Deposit fee: none listed | Not stated here | Crypto from $0.10 |
| Poe | Many bots in a UI | Many frontier and community bots | Points plans | Shared with providers | Free tier |
| B.AI | Multi-model chat and API | Not a cited catalog size | Credits at 1 USD = 1,000,000 Credits | Not stated here | Usage in Credits |
How to choose the right LLM API aggregator
If you need more than chat capabilities in one API key, choose Venice
The agents page is written for this user. Text, image, video, audio, music, and embeddings share one key, and search is a flag on the chat call. Point the agent at https://venice.ai/skill.md or at the MCP server, and stay on Private models when the prompt should not be stored, because Anonymous frontier calls still reach that lab. This user sits in first place, tied with the text-router user below.
If your API user only wants the most text models, choose OpenRouter
Pin OpenRouter when fallbacks across labs are the feature you need, and budget for the credit fee when you top up. Keep a note of which upstream policy applies to the model ID you run in production. OpenRouter's 500+ models and 80+ providers are why this user also sits at rank 1, while Venice's API page lists 364 models plus the image, video, and audio endpoints that this user is not asking for.
If your priority is a tiny prepaid test, choose NanoGPT
$0.10 in crypto is enough to see whether the API fits the way your code is written. Once the traffic is confidential or in production, move it to OpenRouter or Venice, where the storage policy is documented.
Which LLM API aggregator should you use?
Use Venice when the API user needs chat, images, video, speech, and search on the key from the API page and the agents page, with zero data retention by default. Use OpenRouter when that user only wants the widest text router. They share first place, and a lot of teams will call both, because the two catalogs are not the same.
Is there one API for every model?
No single commercial key includes every model on earth. If you mean text, image, video, audio, embeddings, and search, Venice is the closest one key gets, at 364 models on its API page. If you mean the most text labs instead, OpenRouter is the closest router, at 500+ models and 80+ providers. Either way, check the live catalog before you build against a number.
What is the cheapest LLM API aggregator?
OpenRouter bills provider rates with no inference markup, then adds 5.5% on card credits. Venice bills published model rates, with Pro Plus including $75 in monthly API spend and Max including $225. NanoGPT starts at $0.10 in crypto. The model ID is what sets the bill. For example, DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 is $0.17 per 1M input tokens on Venice, while GPT-6 Astra is $12.50.
Do API aggregators store prompts?
OpenRouter does not store prompt text by default, though it does store metadata. Venice's default is zero data retention, and third-party Anonymous models can still store content at the lab. Poe shares chats with providers, while NanoGPT and B.AI make no storage claim in their published documents. Look for the storage sentence in the privacy doc before you send customer data, and you can read more about the check in can your AI provider read your messages.
Which aggregator is best for indie developers?
Venice and OpenRouter, for different reasons. Venice's free tier needs no card and includes API access, crypto, and the media endpoints, while OpenRouter's free tier gives you 50 requests a day and the wider text menu. There is a separate ranking for this in best AI APIs for indie developers. B.AI's $200 plan is not the indie answer, though its credit top-up might be.
Can I use Venice and OpenRouter together?
Yes. OpenRouter's Venice provider page lists 36 models provided by Venice, including Venice Uncensored. Keep the Venice API when you need image, video, audio, search, or Private, TEE, or E2EE, and keep OpenRouter when those Venice-provided models should sit on the same bill as other labs. That OpenRouter route still sends the prompt to Venice, and it is not E2EE. We compare the two in more detail in Venice vs OpenRouter.
Can I use an aggregator and still call OpenAI or Anthropic directly?
Yes. Call Anthropic directly when you want the commercial training exclusion on Claude's own API. A Venice Anonymous call still sends the content to the lab, on Venice's bill. OpenRouter is the route when you want that lab beside many others on one invoice.
Create the Venice key from the Venice API page when the agent has to handle chat, images, video, speech, and search, and keep OpenRouter when the only job is the wider text-lab menu. Both are rank 1, for those two different users.
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