TokelyTHE COST OF BUILDING WITH AI
Compare by what matters to your app
Different services solve different problems. Start with the model contract, then compare cost, controls and operating responsibilities.
THE SHORT ANSWER
A hosted gateway, a direct model host and a self-hosted proxy are different purchases. These guides explain where each fits. Tokely publishes them and operates one of the compared services; numerical savings are only shown for exact matched offers.
Choose your comparison
OpenRouter vs Tokely ↗
Catalog breadth or exact-model price?
Source reviewed 2026-10-09Requesty vs Tokely ↗
Unit cost or platform governance?
Source reviewed 2026-10-09Together AI vs Tokely ↗
Gateway or your own deployment?
Source reviewed 2026-10-09Fireworks AI vs Tokely ↗
Serving control or multi-provider access?
Source reviewed 2026-10-09DeepInfra vs Tokely ↗
Direct host or a managed gateway?
Source reviewed 2026-10-09LiteLLM vs Tokely ↗
Operate the proxy or buy API access?
Source reviewed 2026-10-09The product and pricing model
| Option | Product | Pricing model | Consider when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokely | Hosted API for selected text and media models. | Published model-specific usage rates from a prepaid USD balance. | The model contract and price fit; you do not need BYOK, team RBAC or dedicated hosting. |
| OpenRouter ↗ | A hosted gateway with a broad catalog and multiple provider routes. | Standard lists a 5.5% platform fee; other plans differ. Compare the model rate and funding conditions separately. | Its catalog breadth, BYOK or platform features meet requirements that Tokely does not currently cover. |
| Requesty ↗ | A managed gateway emphasizing routing, observability and governance. | Published pay-as-you-go pricing adds 5% to model cost. Its page includes caching and EU data residency; enterprise adds controls. | Its governance, observability or data-residency offering is a requirement for your application. |
| Together AI ↗ | An inference platform with serverless and dedicated deployment pricing. | Serverless model rates and dedicated deployment economics differ; check the current pricing page for the model and mode. | You need its serving, dedicated-deployment or model-development options rather than a resold multi-provider API. |
| Fireworks AI ↗ | An inference platform with serverless and deployment-specific pricing. | Choose the serving mode and check its published model or deployment rate; these billing modes are not interchangeable. | Its inference/deployment controls are the primary requirement for your workload. |
| DeepInfra ↗ | A model host with per-model inference pricing. | Published rates vary by model and billing unit; compare the exact hosted offer. | Its catalog, direct-host pricing and supported inference contract fit the workload you plan to run. |
| LiteLLM ↗ | Proxy software that can connect your own provider accounts. | Self-hosting adds your infrastructure and operational costs to provider bills; it is not a single reseller token rate. | You want to operate the proxy, bring provider credentials and manage its deployment yourself. |
Start with a real estimate
Calculate a matched token workload or compare alternatives by the reason for switching. Confirm the endpoint, model version, input contract and any required controls before migrating.
START WITH YOUR OWN WORKLOAD
Know the price.
Then make the call.
Check the model, compare the rate, and connect with a Tokely key.