Gemini vs OpenRouter free API
| Google Gemini | OpenRouter | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 1500 requests/day, 15 RPM | 50 requests/day, 20 RPM |
| Models | Gemini 2.5 Flash (multimodal) | Gemma 4, Nemotron 3, GLM-5, openrouter/free router |
| Context | Up to 1M tokens | Varies by routed model |
| Best for | Multimodal, long context, Google AI Studio | One API key to sample many free models |
Verdict
Gemini wins on daily limits, context length, and vision. OpenRouter wins when you want to compare multiple free models without switching providers.