Dev Tools · 2h ago
AI Gateway Fee Comparison: Token Markups Are Dead, Platform Fees Remain
A comparison of major AI gateways in 2026 shows none charge token markups, competing instead on platform fees and BYOK options. LLM Gateway charges 5% on credits (0% with own keys), while OpenRouter charges 5.5% with a $0.80 minimum. Hidden costs include payment-processing fees, log-retention charges, and self-host infrastructure expenses.
Meridian48 take
The article is a useful transparency exercise, but it's published by one of the vendors (LLM Gateway), so readers should verify claims independently.
ai-gatewayspricing-comparison