Brandwave

OpenRouter vs Portkey:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, OpenRouter had more branded searches than Portkey among AI gateway platforms worldwide. OpenRouter had about 1.2 million branded searches, while Portkey had 22,200. OpenRouter made up 87.3% of all AI gateway platform searches we track, and Portkey accounted for 1.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI gateway platforms, both OpenRouter and Portkey appeared in all five answers. Portkey was mentioned before OpenRouter in every answer.

Among AI gateway platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

OpenRouter, about 55 searches for every 1 for Portkey

OpenRouter 1.2M searchesPortkey 22.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

OpenRouter in 5 of 5Portkey in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Portkey, named ahead of OpenRouter in every answer

Portkey first in 5OpenRouter never first

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Top AI gateway platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both OpenRouter and Portkey showed up in all five answers. Portkey was listed before OpenRouter in every answer.

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.

Is OpenRouter or Portkey more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for OpenRouter and Portkey by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six AI gateway platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

OpenRouter and Portkey among AI gateway platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for OpenRouter, Portkey. 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%

How has the OpenRouter and Portkey comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • OpenRouter was ahead of Portkey in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenRouter’s share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide moved from 84.1% to 87.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 450K to 1.2M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Portkey’s share of searches among AI gateway platforms worldwide moved from 2.8% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 22.2K.

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

2 changes

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

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

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using OpenRouter’s and Portkey’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

OpenRouter

1 branded search term

  • openrouter

Portkey

1 branded search term

  • portkey

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among AI gateway platforms

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