Alibaba Cloud vs OpenRouter
API prices for the 41 models both providers list, side by side. Prices as of October 25, 2026.
Alibaba Cloud is cheaper on 2 of the 41 models we can price on both, OpenRouter on 33, and 6 cost the same. OpenRouter is 35% cheaper than Alibaba Cloud on the median shared model.
OpenRouter is an aggregator: it routes requests to models hosted by other providers, so a price there may be another provider's rate passed through.
Each side is its lowest listed price for the model. LLMs are compared on input + output price per 1M tokens; image, video and audio models on their per-unit price. Resolution, tier and variant can change the price. Methodology
At a glance
| Alibaba Cloud | OpenRouter | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Proprietary | Aggregator |
| Models we track | 53 | 206 |
| Free tier | Free quota on select models | :free models: 20 requests/min, 50 requests/day (1,000/day after $10 in lifetime credit purchases) |
| OpenAI-compatible API | ||
| Function calling | ||
| JSON mode | ||
| Vision | ||
| Batch API | — | |
| Fine-tuning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | — |
| HIPAA | — | — |
| GDPR | — | — |
| HQ | Hangzhou, China | — |
Prices for models on both
LLM prices are input / output per 1M tokens. The cheaper side is highlighted.
LLMs (41 · Alibaba Cloud cheaper on 2, OpenRouter on 33)
| Model | Alibaba Cloud | OpenRouter | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V3.2 DeepSeek | $0.570 / $1.71 | $0.209 / $0.310 | OpenRouter −77% |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash DeepSeek | $0.200 / $0.400 | $0.022 / $0.044 | OpenRouter −89% |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro DeepSeek | $1.32 / $3.96 0813 | $0.132 / $0.396 0813 | OpenRouter −90% |
| GLM 5.1 Z.ai | $1.40 / $4.40 | $0.965 / $3.03 | OpenRouter −31% |
| GLM 5.2 Z.ai | $1.40 / $4.40 | $0.189 / $0.594 | OpenRouter −87% |
| GLM 5.3 Z.ai | $1.40 / $4.40 | $0.079 / $1.40 | OpenRouter −75% |
| Kimi K2.7 Code Moonshot AI | $0.950 / $4.00 | $0.713 / $3.00 | OpenRouter −25% |
| Kimi K3 Moonshot AI | $3.00 / $15.00 | $0.192 / $7.70 | OpenRouter −56% |
| Qwen 3 235B Alibaba | $0.700 / $2.80 | $0.455 / $1.82 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen 3 32B Alibaba | $0.160 / $0.640 | $0.080 / $0.280 | OpenRouter −55% |
| Qwen 3 8B Alibaba | $0.180 / $0.700 | $0.117 / $0.455 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen 3 Max Alibaba | $1.20 / $6.00 | $0.780 / $3.90 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen 3.6 Plus Alibaba | $0.500 / $3.00 | $0.325 / $1.95 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen-Plus Alibaba | $0.400 / $1.20 | $0.260 / $0.780 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen3 14B Alibaba | $0.350 / $1.40 | $0.100 / $0.220 | OpenRouter −82% |
| Qwen3 235B A22B Thinking 2507 Alibaba | $0.230 / $2.30 | $0.450 / $3.50 | Alibaba Cloud −36% |
| Qwen3 30B A3B Alibaba | $0.200 / $0.800 | $0.120 / $0.500 | OpenRouter −38% |
| Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct Alibaba | $0.450 / $2.25 | $0.070 / $0.280 | OpenRouter −87% |
| Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B Alibaba | $1.50 / $7.50 | $0.300 / $1.00 | OpenRouter −86% |
| Qwen3 Coder Flash Alibaba | $0.300 / $1.50 | $0.195 / $0.975 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen3 Coder Next Alibaba | $0.300 / $1.50 | $0.120 / $0.800 | OpenRouter −49% |
| Qwen3 Coder Plus Alibaba | $1.00 / $5.00 | $0.650 / $3.25 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct Alibaba | $0.150 / $1.20 | $0.072 / $0.880 | OpenRouter −29% |
| Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking Alibaba | $0.150 / $1.20 | $0.150 / $1.20 | Same |
| Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct Alibaba | $0.400 / $1.60 | $0.200 / $0.880 | OpenRouter −46% |
| Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking Alibaba | $0.400 / $4.00 | $0.400 / $4.00 | Same |
| Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct Alibaba | $0.200 / $0.800 | $0.150 / $0.600 | OpenRouter −25% |
| Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking Alibaba | $0.200 / $2.40 | $0.290 / $1.00 | OpenRouter −50% |
| Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct Alibaba | $0.160 / $0.640 | $0.104 / $0.416 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct Alibaba | $0.180 / $0.700 | $0.250 / $0.750 | Alibaba Cloud −12% |
| Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking Alibaba | $0.180 / $2.10 | $0.180 / $2.10 | Same |
| Qwen3.5-27B Alibaba | $0.300 / $2.40 | $0.195 / $1.56 | OpenRouter −35% |
| Qwen3.6 27B Alibaba | $0.600 / $3.60 | $0.200 / $2.00 | OpenRouter −48% |
| Qwen3.6 35B A3B Alibaba | $0.375 / $2.25 | $0.050 / $0.700 | OpenRouter −71% |
| Qwen3.6 Flash Alibaba | $0.250 / $1.50 | $0.188 / $1.13 | OpenRouter −25% |
| Qwen3.7 Flash Alibaba | $0.030 / $0.130 | $0.030 / $0.130 | Same |
| Qwen3.7 Max Alibaba | $2.50 / $7.50 | $1.48 / $4.42 | OpenRouter −41% |
| Qwen3.7 Plus Alibaba | $0.400 / $1.60 | $0.320 / $1.28 | OpenRouter −20% |
| Qwen3.8 2.4T A95B Alibaba | $2.00 / $6.00 | $2.00 / $6.00 | Same |
| Qwen3.8 27B Alibaba | $0.500 / $3.00 | $0.039 / $1.25 | OpenRouter −63% |
| Qwen3.8 Flash Alibaba | $0.150 / $0.470 | $0.150 / $0.470 | Same |
Only on Alibaba Cloud (12)
Only on OpenRouter (165)
Alibaba Cloud vs OpenRouter FAQ
Is Alibaba Cloud cheaper than OpenRouter?
Usually no. Alibaba Cloud is cheaper on 2 of the 41 models we can price on both, OpenRouter on 33, and 6 cost the same. OpenRouter is 35% cheaper than Alibaba Cloud on the median shared model.
Which has more models, Alibaba Cloud or OpenRouter?
We track 53 models on Alibaba Cloud and 206 on OpenRouter. 41 are on both, 12 only on Alibaba Cloud and 165 only on OpenRouter.
Do Alibaba Cloud and OpenRouter have a free tier?
Alibaba Cloud: yes (Free quota on select models). OpenRouter: yes (:free models: 20 requests/min, 50 requests/day (1,000/day after $10 in lifetime credit purchases)).
Which models do both Alibaba Cloud and OpenRouter offer?
41 models, including DeepSeek V3.2, DeepSeek V4 Flash, DeepSeek V4 Pro, GLM 5.1, GLM 5.2, GLM 5.3 and more. The full list with both prices is in the table above.