OpenRouter is a cloud API marketplace. Stockyard is a self-hosted proxy. They solve the same problem from opposite directions.
OpenRouter aggregates 300+ models from 60+ providers into a single API. You send requests to OpenRouter, they route to the provider. Simple, no infrastructure, massive model catalog.
Stockyard sits on your infrastructure. You download a binary, point your app at it, and requests route through your own server to providers. Your data never touches a third party.
The tradeoff is convenience vs control. OpenRouter is easier. Stockyard gives you more.
| Feature | Stockyard | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Self-hosted proxy on your servers | Cloud API marketplace |
| Self-hosted | ✓ Default | No, cloud only |
| Data residency | Your infrastructure | Passes through OpenRouter servers |
| Providers | 40+ | 60+ providers, 300+ models |
| Platform fee | None | 5.5% on all requests |
| Pricing | Free unlimited, paid from $0.99/mo per tool | Pay-as-you-go + 5.5% fee |
| Free models | Via Ollama (local) | 25+ free hosted models |
| Open source | Proxy: Apache 2.0 | Proprietary |
| Cost tracking | ✓ Per-request | ✓ Activity logs |
| Caching | ✓ Built-in | ✓ Prompt caching |
| Rate limiting | ✓ Per-team/user | Account-level |
| Failover | ✓ Cross-provider | Managed by OpenRouter |
| Guardrails | ✓ 76 middleware modules | None |
| Audit trail | ✓ Hash-chained | Activity logs |
| Red-team testing | ✓ Feral | None |
| Compliance | Full data control | Data transits third-party servers |
Data reflects publicly available documentation as of March 2026.
No platform fee. OpenRouter charges 5.5% on every request. On a $1,000/month API bill, that is $55/month to OpenRouter for routing. Stockyard has zero per-request fees. You pay providers directly at their published rates.
Data stays on your servers. With OpenRouter, every prompt and completion passes through their infrastructure. With Stockyard, your data never leaves your network. For teams with compliance requirements, this is non-negotiable.
Open source. Stockyard's proxy core is Apache 2.0. You can audit the code, modify it, and run it anywhere. OpenRouter is proprietary.
Built-in security. Stockyard includes guardrails, PII redaction, and red-team testing. OpenRouter is a routing layer with no content safety features.
If you want zero infrastructure and access to 300+ models including free ones, OpenRouter is hard to beat. No binary to install, no server to manage, no provider keys to configure for most models.
OpenRouter's scale (5M+ users, 30T monthly tokens) means reliability is battle-tested. They handle provider outages, rate limits, and routing automatically.
If you are prototyping and want to try many different models quickly without setting up accounts with each provider, OpenRouter's marketplace model is faster to start with.
OpenRouter is the fastest way to access hundreds of models with zero setup. Stockyard is the right choice when you need data residency, no platform fees, and the security features that come with self-hosting.