DeepSeek · Alibaba · Llama · Meta · GPT · China · Fortune Technology
OpenRouter’s own analysts report that Chinese open models run 60% to 90% cheaper than the leading American offerings
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
Distribution is where ecosystems lock in.
Key facts
- DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $0.14 per million input tokens, compared with $5.00 for GPT-5.5
- GPT 5.5, Claude Fable 5, and Gemini 3.x lead on the hardest reasoning, long-horizon agents, and the most demanding enterprise work
- Llama, which defined open weight AI in 2023 and 2024 has fallen below 1% of routed volume
- Chinese models now carry more than 60% of the platform’s traffic, which exceeds 20 trillion tokens a week
Summary
In July, for the first time, Chinese developed models took all five top positions on OpenRouter, the neutral routing platform that has become the closest thing the AI industry has to a Nielsen rating. A year ago, US models carried roughly 70% of OpenRouter’s traffic. Even more striking is that by mid-July, Chinese models accounted for a record 58% of tokens processed by American firms on the platform. Here is the paradox that should be on every board agenda this fall. But the race split into two contests: capability and distribution. DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $0.14 per million input tokens, compared with $5.00 for GPT-5.5. Llama, which defined open weight AI in 2023 and 2024 has fallen below 1% of routed volume.