Quick answer
OpenRouter documents free-model allowance as 50 requests/day below $10 credits; 1,000/day after $10+ purchased. The purchased-credit threshold changes the documented daily free-model allowance.
Verified Aug 22, 2026Official source
Current limits
| Constraint | Current value | Scope | Verified source |
|---|---|---|---|
| free-model allowanceThe purchased-credit threshold changes the documented daily free-model allowance. | 50 requests/day below $10 credits; 1,000/day after $10+ purchased | Free model variants | OpenRouterAug 22, 2026 |
Why does this limit matter?
Adding a small credit balance does not necessarily satisfy the cumulative purchase condition.
This value is scoped to Free model variants; a different plan, runtime, model, endpoint, region, or account can produce a different effective constraint.
What should you check?
- Verify lifetime credit purchases and inspect the selected model's current metadata.
- Confirm the exact plan, model, runtime, endpoint, region, and account that serve the failing workload.
- Record the observed value, response headers or configuration, timestamp, and source without logging secrets.
Important caveats
- Individual models and upstream providers can impose lower availability or per-request constraints.
- Treat the official source and live account configuration as authoritative if they differ from this verified snapshot.
HyperObserve reports the documented platform constraint. Your application, SDK, gateway, provider, region, or account can impose a lower effective limit.
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