Updated March 2026 · All pricing per 1M tokens

Best AI API Providers for OpenClaw (2026)

OpenClaw works with any AI provider. Here's how to choose the right one — and how to get the best performance per dollar.

Unlike ChatGPT which locks you into OpenAI models, OpenClaw lets you connect to any AI provider via API key. Anthropic for coding, Google for massive documents, Grok for real-time search — or all of them simultaneously via OpenRouter.

This guide covers every major provider: pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and exactly how to configure each one in OpenClaw.

Quick Recommendation

Start with OpenRouter ($0 to start, access to all models), then add direct API keys as you scale.

🔀 Beginners: OpenRouter

💻 Coding: Anthropic Claude

📄 Long docs: Google Gemini

💰 Budget: Gemini Flash

🌐 Real-time: xAI Grok

Provider Breakdown

🟠

Anthropic

Claude Models

Best for

Coding, complex reasoning, long documents

Context window

200K tokens

Free tier

$5 credit

Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)

Claude Opus 4.6Most powerful

$15 in / $75 out

Claude Sonnet 4.6Best balance

$3 in / $15 out

Claude Haiku 4Fastest/cheapest

$0.25 in / $1.25 out

Strengths

Exceptional at coding and reasoning
Largest context (200K) among big 3
Follows complex instructions well

Weaknesses

—No free model tier
—Higher cost than Google/Moonshot

OpenClaw config key

"model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6"

🟢

OpenAI

GPT Models

Best for

Creative writing, general tasks, image generation

Context window

128K tokens

Free tier

$5 credit

Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)

GPT-5Best general model

$2.50 in / $10 out

GPT-5 MiniBudget pick

$0.15 in / $0.60 out

Strengths

Most widely tested models
DALL-E image generation
Huge ecosystem and docs

Weaknesses

—GPT-5 only context is 128K
—Pricier than Google Flash

OpenClaw config key

"model": "openai/gpt-5"

🔵

Google

🏆 Best value

Gemini Models

Best for

Huge documents, multimodal (images/video), cost efficiency

Context window

1M tokens (!)

Free tier

Free tier available

Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)

Gemini 3.1 ProTop tier

$1.25 in / $5 out

Gemini FlashCheapest quality

$0.075 in / $0.30 out

Strengths

1M token context window is unmatched
Cheapest per-token of any top model
Multimodal: images, video, audio

Weaknesses

—Occasional inconsistency vs Claude/GPT
—Gemini Pro lags on coding tasks

OpenClaw config key

"model": "google/gemini-flash"

⚡

xAI

Grok Models

Best for

Real-time web search, X/Twitter data, current events

Context window

131K tokens

Free tier

Free tier available

Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)

Grok 4Most capable

Competitive in / Competitive out

Grok MiniFast & cheap

Budget in / Budget out

Strengths

Real-time internet access built in
X/Twitter data access
Strong at current events

Weaknesses

—Smaller ecosystem vs OpenAI/Anthropic
—Pricing less transparent

OpenClaw config key

"model": "xai/grok-4"

🌙

Moonshot

Kimi Models

Best for

Best price/performance ratio, huge context, long documents

Context window

256K tokens

Free tier

Free tier available

Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)

Kimi K2.5Best bang/buck

~$0.50 in / ~$1 out

Strengths

Excellent price/performance
256K context at low cost
Strong on long documents

Weaknesses

—Less known in Western market
—Support primarily in Chinese

OpenClaw config key

"model": "moonshot/kimi-k2.5"

🔀

OpenRouter

⭐ Start here

All Providers

Best for

Beginners, model switching, cost optimization

Context window

Varies by model

Free tier

$0 to start

Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)

All modelsOne API key

Varies in / Varies out

Auto-routerSmart routing

Optimized in / Optimized out

Strengths

One API key for every model
Pay-per-use, no minimums
Smart auto-routing to best model
Fallbacks if one provider is down

Weaknesses

—Slight markup vs direct APIs
—Not ideal for ultra-high volume

OpenClaw config key

"model": "openrouter/openrouter/auto"

Quick Comparison Table

Provider	Cheapest Model	Best Model	Context	Free Tier
Anthropic	Haiku $0.25/M	Opus $15/M	200K	$5 credit
OpenAI	Mini $0.15/M	GPT-5 $2.50/M	128K	$5 credit
Google	Flash $0.075/M	Pro $1.25/M	1M	Free tier
xAI	Grok Mini	Grok 4	131K	Free tier
Moonshot	K2.5 $0.50/M	K2.5 $0.50/M	256K	Free tier
OpenRouter	Varies	All models	Varies	$0

Anthropic

Cheapest:
Haiku $0.25/M

Best:
Opus $15/M

Context:
200K

Free:
$5 credit

OpenAI

Cheapest:
Mini $0.15/M

Best:
GPT-5 $2.50/M

Context:
128K

Free:
$5 credit

Google

Cheapest:
Flash $0.075/M

Best:
Pro $1.25/M

Context:
1M

Free:
Free tier

xAI

Cheapest:
Grok Mini

Best:
Grok 4

Context:
131K

Free:
Free tier

Moonshot

Cheapest:
K2.5 $0.50/M

Best:
K2.5 $0.50/M

Context:
256K

Free:
Free tier

OpenRouter

Cheapest:
Varies

Best:
All models

Context:
Varies

Free:
$0

Model Quality Ratings

Star ratings (1–5) across three key dimensions: Coding, Reasoning, and Creative tasks.

Model	Provider	Context	Pricing	Speed
Kimi K2.5	Moonshot AI	256K	~$0.50-1/M	Fast
Claude Sonnet 4.6	Anthropic	200K	~$3/M in	Fast
Claude Opus 4.6	Anthropic	200K	~$15/M in	Medium
GPT-5	OpenAI	128K	~$2.50/M in	Fast
GPT-5 Mini	OpenAI	128K	~$0.15/M in	Very Fast
Gemini 3.1 Pro	Google	1M	~$1.25/M in	Fast
Grok 4	xAI	131K	~$3/M in	Fast
Llama 3.2 (Local)	Meta/Ollama	128K	Free	Variable

Kimi K2.5

Moonshot AI

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 256KPrice: ~$0.50-1/MSpeed: Fast

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Anthropic

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 200KPrice: ~$3/M inSpeed: Fast

Claude Opus 4.6

Anthropic

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 200KPrice: ~$15/M inSpeed: Medium

GPT-5

OpenAI

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 128KPrice: ~$2.50/M inSpeed: Fast

GPT-5 Mini

OpenAI

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 128KPrice: ~$0.15/M inSpeed: Very Fast

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Google

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 1MPrice: ~$1.25/M inSpeed: Fast

Grok 4

xAI

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 131KPrice: ~$3/M inSpeed: Fast

Llama 3.2 (Local)

Meta/Ollama

Coding

Reasoning

Creative

Context: 128KPrice: FreeSpeed: Variable

Quick Selection Guide

Pick the right model for your specific task in seconds.

Coding

Kimi K2.5 or Claude Sonnet

Both score ★★★★★ on coding. Kimi for cost, Sonnet for reliability.

Writing

GPT-5 or Claude Opus

Top creative scores. GPT-5 for speed, Opus for quality.

Long Docs

Gemini 3.1 Pro or Kimi

1M context (Gemini) or 256K (Kimi). Gemini for giant files.

Budget

GPT-5 Mini or Gemini Flash

$0.075–0.15/M tokens. Use for drafts, simple tasks.

Estimated Monthly Costs

Real-world cost estimates based on typical usage patterns.

Light User

~$10–20/mo

Occasional queries, mostly Mini/Kimi.

~100K tokens/day
Mostly GPT-5 Mini
Some Kimi for complex tasks

Regular User

Most common

~$50–100/mo

Daily use with a mix of models.

~500K tokens/day
Kimi/Sonnet for coding
Mini for quick tasks

Power User

~$200–500/mo

Heavy use, sub-agents, complex work.

2M+ tokens/day
Opus for critical tasks
Multiple sub-agents

Pro Tips for Model Selection

Practical strategies to get the best results at the lowest cost.

Start with Kimi K2.5

It offers the best balance of context (256K), quality, and price. Use it as your default before trying others.

Use Mini for Drafts

Generate first drafts with GPT-5 Mini, then refine with Kimi or Sonnet. Cuts costs by up to 80%.

Long Docs = Kimi or Gemini

With 256K context (Kimi) or 1M context (Gemini Pro), you can analyze entire codebases or books in one shot — no chunking needed.

Local for Sensitive Data

Use Llama 3.2 locally via Ollama for anything you wouldn't want sent to a cloud API. Free and fully private.

Use OpenRouter for Auto-Routing

Set your model to openrouter/auto and let it pick the best-fit model per query. Great for mixed workloads without manual per-model configuration.

Cost Optimization Tips

Start cheap

Use Gemini Flash or GPT-5 Mini for routine tasks. Reserve Opus/GPT-5 for complex reasoning only.

Use OpenRouter auto-routing

Let OpenRouter pick the best model for each query automatically based on cost and capability.

Set spending caps

Every provider has monthly spend limits. Set them low at first ($10–20) and raise as needed.

Reduce token waste

Shorter system prompts, concise queries, and chunking long documents saves significant cost.

Cache common responses

OpenClaw's memory system can cache repeated lookups — weather formats, boilerplate code, etc.

Track usage per provider

Check each provider dashboard weekly. You'll quickly see which use cases are expensive.

How to Configure Each Provider

All providers use the same pattern in OpenClaw's config:

Set a default model:

json

// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.config.json
{
  "model": "openrouter/openrouter/auto"  // or any provider/model string
}

Add API keys:

json

# Via CLI
openclaw config set OPENROUTER_API_KEY sk-or-...
openclaw config set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY sk-ant-...
openclaw config set OPENAI_API_KEY sk-...
openclaw config set GOOGLE_AI_API_KEY AIza...
openclaw config set XAI_API_KEY xai-...

# Or in ~/.zprofile / ~/.env
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-..."
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

Switch models per session:

json

# In chat, use model override commands:
/model anthropic/claude-opus-4-6
/model google/gemini-flash
/model openai/gpt-5-mini

# Or set per-automation in your scripts:
openclaw run --model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6 "Review this code..."

Frequently Asked Questions

Start with OpenRouter — one API key unlocks every model, zero minimums, and you can experiment freely. Once you know which model you prefer for your use case, add direct API keys for cost savings. See the model quality ratings below for detailed benchmarks.

Yes. OpenClaw supports multiple API keys simultaneously. You can configure per-session model selection, or let OpenRouter automatically route to the best available model.

Google Gemini Flash at $0.075/M input tokens is the cheapest capable model. For zero cost, run local models via Ollama (Llama 3, Mistral, Qwen) — no API key needed, completely free.

Google AI Studio has a generous free tier. OpenAI and Anthropic give $5 in free credits. xAI and Moonshot offer free tiers. OpenRouter gives access to several free models (look for "free" tag on openrouter.ai).

Set hard spending caps in every provider dashboard. Use cheaper models (Flash, Mini, Haiku) for routine tasks and save expensive models (Opus, GPT-5) for complex reasoning. OpenRouter has built-in budget controls and usage analytics.

Ready to pick your first API?

Start with OpenRouter — free to start, access to every model. Set up OpenClaw in 30 minutes.

Setup Guide Full Setup Guide