Dev Tools · 1h ago
AI Gateway vs Direct Provider: How to Choose for Cost-Effective Multi-Model Routing
Choosing between Vercel AI Gateway, OpenRouter, and direct provider calls hinges on cost reporting granularity, not model count. Per-call cost data in the response object enables accurate billing and evaluation. Direct provider SDKs require hardcoded prices that can become outdated, while gateways remove that constant.
Meridian48 take
The article's practical advice on cost-per-accepted-output and per-call billing is valuable, but it understates the complexity of integrating non-chat features like embeddings and reranking.
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AI Gateway vs Direct Provider: Cheapest Multi-Model Routing, Billing and Token Estimates →
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