Brandwave

How popular isOpenRouter?

In September 2026, people searched for OpenRouter by name about 1.2 million times worldwide, a 171.1% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 87.3% of all global AI gateway platform searches, placing OpenRouter first out of six platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI gateway platforms, OpenRouter appeared in all answers and was the fourth most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

OpenRouter is the most searched of 6 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. OpenRouterShare of searches 87.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. LiteLLMShare of searches 9.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. PortkeyShare of searches 1.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  4. TrueFoundryShare of searches 0.71%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  5. KongShare of searches 0.41%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd

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Top AI gateway platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, OpenRouter appeared in all five answers. OpenRouter is the fourth most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. LiteLLM1st
  2. Portkey2nd
  3. Kong3rd
  4. OpenRouter4th
  5. TrueFoundry5th
  6. Helicone6th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • OpenRouter5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • LiteLLM5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Portkey5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kong4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • TrueFoundry2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Helicone1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about AI gateway platforms

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which AI gateway platforms compete with OpenRouter?

OpenRouter against AI gateway platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for OpenRouter, LiteLLM. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthOpenRouterLiteLLMPortkeyTrueFoundryKongHelicone
Oct 202584.1%9.3%2.8%0.67%2.2%1%
Nov 202580.1%13.2%3.2%0.63%1.7%1.2%
Dec 202582.9%11.2%2.7%0.53%1.4%1.2%
Jan 202683.1%11.2%2.7%0.54%1.2%1.2%
Feb 202686.5%9.5%1.9%0.46%0.77%0.85%
Mar 202674.2%22.3%1.6%0.4%0.67%0.73%
Apr 202685%11.5%1.9%0.38%0.51%0.69%
May 202684.1%11.4%2.8%0.56%0.5%0.68%
Jun 202686.8%9.6%1.9%0.7%0.5%0.47%
Jul 202687.2%9.6%1.6%0.71%0.5%0.39%
Aug 202689.4%8%1.3%0.59%0.34%0.32%
Sep 202687.3%9.7%1.6%0.71%0.41%0.31%

  1. 1.OpenRouter

    87.3%

    Held 1st. 1.2M estimated branded searches, -18.7% vs prior month. Share -2.1 points.

  2. 2.LiteLLM

    9.7%

    Held 2nd. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.

  3. 3.Portkey

    1.6%

    Held 3rd. 22.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  4. 4.TrueFoundry

    0.71%

    Held 4th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  5. 5.Kong

    0.41%

    Held 5th. 5.7K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  6. 6.Helicone

    0.31%

    Held 6th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between OpenRouter and its closest rivals

Every comparison with OpenRouter

5 comparisons

How has branded search demand for OpenRouter changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for OpenRouter worldwide rose from 450K to 1.2M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenRouter’s share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide increased from 84.1% to 87.3%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenRouter’s share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide peaked at 89.4% in August 2026 and was lowest at 74.2% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for AI gateway platforms worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, LiteLLM gained share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide, from 8% to 9.7%.

  2. In September 2026, OpenRouter lost share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide, from 89.4% to 87.3%.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for TrueFoundry worldwide rose 175% over 12 measured months, from 3.6K to 9.9K in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Portkey worldwide rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 22.2K in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Kong worldwide fell 51.3% over 12 measured months, from 11.7K to 5.7K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Helicone worldwide fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 5.4K to 4.4K in September 2026.

How are OpenRouter’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using OpenRouter’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • openrouter

Do you work for OpenRouter? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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