AI has permeated every aspect of our work and entertainment. Whether it's the foreign giants OpenAI, Gemini, and Claude, or domestic players like DeepSeek, Zhipu AI, Tongyi Qianwen, and Kimi, major manufacturers have provided powerful AI models.

However, a troubling issue is that for each platform's model we use, we need to register an account and even bind a payment method. Want to use ChatGPT? You need an OpenAI account. Want to experience Gemini? You need a Google account.

Of course, there are also some AI aggregation platforms on the market, such as Alibaba Cloud's Bailian and ByteDance's Volcano Engine Ark. But they mainly focus on their own models and lack top foreign models. Although Silicon Flow provides some foreign models, it is not comprehensive and lacks popular options such as OpenAI and Claude.

Is there a platform that can provide both domestic and foreign mainstream AI models and be convenient for domestic users to use? The answer is yes, and that is OpenRouter.ai!

The advantages of OpenRouter.ai:

• Direct access in China, stable speed: You can use it smoothly without a special network environment.
• Complete models: Encompasses mainstream AI models at home and abroad, including OpenAI, Google, Claude, Deepseek, Qwen, etc.
• Free quota: Provides a daily free request quota, allowing you to easily experience various models.

1. Free Registration and Login

Visit the OpenRouter.ai official website: https://openrouter.ai

• If you have a Google account, you can directly log in with your Google account.
• If not, click "Sign up" to register with your email.

After registering, open your email and click the link in the verification email to log in.

2. Create an API Key

After logging in, go to the API key management page: https://openrouter.ai/settings/keys

Click "Create Key" to create a new API key.

Copy the generated API key and keep it safe.

3. Explore Free Models

Visit OpenRouter.ai's model list page: https://openrouter.ai/models

Filter out all free models as shown below.

You will see many models with the (free) tag, which are all free to use, including the full-blooded version of DeepSeek:R1.

Free Quota Description:

OpenRouter.ai provides each user with a daily free request quota of 200 times.

4. Use OpenRouter.ai to Replace OpenAI

Select a model you are interested in and copy the Model Name.

Now, you can use OpenRouter.ai in any application or code that supports the OpenAI API format using the following methods:

• API Address: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
• API Key (SK): The OpenRouter.ai API key you copied earlier
• Model Name: The model name you just copied

5. Special Recommendation: Free Experience of the Full-Blooded Version of DeepSeek-R1

OpenRouter.ai also provides a special model: deepseek/deepseek-r1:free

Visit: https://openrouter.ai/deepseek/deepseek-r1:free

This is a full-blooded version of the DeepSeek-R1 inference model that is completely free to call!

6. Example: Using OpenRouter.ai in pyVideoTrans

Taking the video translation software pyVideoTrans as an example, demonstrate how to use OpenRouter.ai in practical applications:

1. Open the software and go to "Menu" -> "OpenAI ChatGPT API".
2. Fill in https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 in the "API URL".
3. Fill in your OpenRouter.ai API key in "SK".
4. Paste the model name you copied in "Fill in all available models".
5. Click "Save".