--- title: "OpenRouter: search popularity worldwide" description: "A gateway that routes requests to many AI models through one API. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/openrouter" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # OpenRouter: search popularity worldwide A gateway that routes requests to many AI models through one API. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: OpenRouter - **Market**: Global - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among AI gateway platforms**: 87.3% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | AI gateway platforms | 1 | 87.3% | 1.2M | - [AI gateway platforms](/demand/global-en/categories/ai-gateway-platforms) ## 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. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | LiteLLM | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Portkey | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Kong | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | OpenRouter | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | TrueFoundry | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Helicone | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about AI gateway platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which AI gateway platform should I use?": 1. LiteLLM, 2. Portkey, 3. Kong, 4. OpenRouter - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best AI gateway platforms?": 1. LiteLLM, 2. Portkey, 3. OpenRouter, 4. Kong, 5. Helicone, 6. TrueFoundry - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best AI gateway platform for model routing?": 1. LiteLLM, 2. Portkey, 3. OpenRouter - Searched Google, AI Overview "ai gateway platform": 1. Portkey, 2. LiteLLM, 3. Kong, 4. TrueFoundry, 5. OpenRouter - Searched Google, AI Overview "best ai gateway": 1. LiteLLM, 2. Portkey, 3. Kong, 4. OpenRouter Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for OpenRouter changed worldwide over the last 12 months? - 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? - In September 2026, LiteLLM gained share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide, from 8% to 9.7%. - In September 2026, OpenRouter lost share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide, from 89.4% to 87.3%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for TrueFoundry worldwide rose 175% over 12 measured months, from 3.6K to 9.9K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Portkey worldwide rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 22.2K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Kong worldwide fell 51.3% over 12 measured months, from 11.7K to 5.7K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Helicone worldwide fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 5.4K to 4.4K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | AI gateway platforms | 450K | 84.1% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | AI gateway platforms | 368K | 80.1% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | AI gateway platforms | 450K | 82.9% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 550K | 83.1% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 823K | 86.5% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 1M | 74.2% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 1.2M | 85% | 1 | | May 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 1M | 84.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 1.2M | 86.8% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 1.2M | 87.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 1.5M | 89.4% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | AI gateway platforms | 1.2M | 87.3% | 1 | ## How are OpenRouter’s branded searches counted? 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” ## Which AI gateway platforms compete with OpenRouter? - [LiteLLM](/demand/global-en/brands/litellm): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/litellm-vs-openrouter - [Portkey](/demand/global-en/brands/portkey): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/openrouter-vs-portkey - [TrueFoundry](/demand/global-en/brands/truefoundry): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/openrouter-vs-truefoundry - [Kong](/demand/global-en/brands/kong-inc): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/kong-inc-vs-openrouter - [Helicone](/demand/global-en/brands/helicone): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/helicone-vs-openrouter ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "OpenRouter: search popularity worldwide". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/openrouter This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/openrouter. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.