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Comparison · facts as of October 14, 2026

ScaleMax vs OpenRouter

OpenRouter is the broader catalogue: many providers behind one OpenAI-style endpoint with pass-through model prices. ScaleMax is narrower but built for paying in rupees with no top-up fee, and it also speaks the native Anthropic Messages API that Claude Code and Anthropic SDKs use.

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Disclosure

ScaleMax wrote this page. Every OpenRouter fact below comes from the public pages listed under Sources, read on October 14, 2026. Where a page does not say something, the table says “Not stated”. Check the source before deciding — pricing and features change.

Side by side

 ScaleMaxOpenRouter
Fee when you add creditNo payment processing fee on any method — the checkout total is the charge5.5% ($0.80 minimum) on card purchases; 5% on crypto
Model pricingScaleMax publishes its own per-model rate; credit packs add more usage credit than they costProvider prices passed through with no markup on inference
Payment methodsUPI, cards and net banking in INR (PayU, Cashfree), crypto (Cryptomus)Major credit cards, AliPay, USDC crypto; PayPal described as in progress. UPI and INR not mentioned
API protocolsOpenAI Chat Completions, OpenAI Responses and native Anthropic Messages (/v1/messages)OpenAI API specification for /completions and /chat/completions. Anthropic Messages not mentioned in the FAQ
Credit expiryShown per key in the dashboard — some keys carry an expiry date, and trial credit expiresMay expire unused credits one year after purchase
RefundsUnused credit can be refunded on request (case by case, see the refund policy)Unused credits refundable if requested within 24 hours; platform fees and crypto payments not refundable
Model catalogueA curated catalogue: Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, GLM, Qwen, Kimi, MiniMax, Grok and moreA much larger catalogue across many model providers
Credit packsThe smallest pack costs $2.50 (₹250) and adds $25 of usage credit; larger packs add up to 11× their price.Not stated on the cited page

Where OpenRouter is stronger

  • A far larger choice of models and providers through one key.
  • Provider prices passed through without an inference markup, so per-token rates track each provider’s list price.
  • A large ecosystem of apps and libraries that already list OpenRouter as a provider.

Where ScaleMax is stronger

  • Pay in rupees with UPI, cards or net banking — no international card needed, and no top-up fee on any method.
  • Native Anthropic Messages endpoint, so Claude Code and the Anthropic SDKs connect with only a base URL change.
  • Credit packs add 10× or more of their price in usage credit (figures below are read from the live price list).
  • One installer configures Claude Code, Codex, Cline, Roo Code, Continue, OpenCode and Hermes Agent.

Which should you choose?

Choose OpenRouter if

  • You need a niche or very new model that ScaleMax does not list.
  • You want to pick or pin the upstream provider for each request.
  • You prefer pass-through provider pricing over a published flat rate.

Choose ScaleMax if

  • You are in India and want to pay with UPI or an Indian card in rupees.
  • You use Claude Code or the Anthropic SDK and want the native Messages API.
  • You mainly use Claude, GPT, Gemini or DeepSeek and want the most usage per rupee from a credit pack.

Switching to ScaleMax

  1. Create a ScaleMax key and check the models it includes with GET https://api.scalemax.pro/v1/models.
  2. Change the base URL from https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 to https://api.scalemax.pro/v1 and swap the key.
  3. Replace OpenRouter model names (vendor/model) with ScaleMax model IDs — for example claude-sonnet-5-5 or gpt-6-sol, without a vendor prefix.
  4. For Claude Code or Anthropic SDKs, use the origin https://api.scalemax.pro instead.
Python · OpenAI SDK
client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.scalemax.pro/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["SCALEMAX_API_KEY"],
)

Sources

ScaleMax is not affiliated with OpenRouter, Requesty, Anthropic or OpenAI. Product names are used only to identify the services compared.

ScaleMax vs OpenRouter: questions

Does ScaleMax charge a fee to add credit like OpenRouter?

No. ScaleMax charges no payment processing fee on any method; the checkout total is what you pay. OpenRouter’s FAQ lists a 5.5% fee ($0.80 minimum) on card purchases and 5% on crypto, as of 14 October 2026.

Can I pay OpenRouter with UPI?

OpenRouter’s FAQ lists major credit cards, AliPay and USDC crypto, with PayPal in progress; it does not mention UPI or rupees (as of 14 October 2026). ScaleMax accepts UPI, cards and net banking in INR.

Is OpenRouter or ScaleMax better for Claude Code?

Claude Code speaks the Anthropic Messages API. ScaleMax serves that API natively at https://api.scalemax.pro, so Claude Code needs only ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and a key. OpenRouter’s FAQ describes OpenAI-specification endpoints.

Does OpenRouter have more models than ScaleMax?

Yes. OpenRouter lists many more models and providers. ScaleMax keeps a curated catalogue of the major model families.

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