# Providers Guide: Connect AI Models to OmniRoute > **TL;DR**: A provider is a connection to an AI service (like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google). You need at least one provider to use OmniRoute. --- ## What Is a Provider? Think of a provider like a **phone carrier**. Just as you need a phone carrier to make calls, you need an AI provider to use AI models. OmniRoute is like a phone that works with **all carriers** — you can switch between them automatically. ### Types of Providers | Type | What It Is | Examples | Cost | | -------------- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ---------------------- | | **Free** | No payment required | Kiro, OpenCode Free, Pollinations | $0 | | **API Key** | You need an API key | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google | Pay per use | | **OAuth** | Login with your account | Claude Code, GitHub Copilot | Subscription | | **Web Cookie** | Uses your browser session | ChatGPT Web, Gemini Web | $0 (uses your account) | --- ## Quick Start: Connect Your First Provider ### Option A: Free Provider (No Credit Card) 1. Open the dashboard at `http://localhost:20128` 2. Go to **Providers** → **Add Provider** 3. Select one of these free providers: - **Kiro AI** — Free Claude models (no auth needed) - **OpenCode Free** — Free GPT models (no auth needed) - **Pollinations** — Free GPT-5, Claude, Gemini (no key needed) - **LongCat** — 10M tokens free (one-time grant, requires account + KYC) - **Cloudflare AI** — 50+ models, 10K neurons/day 4. Click **Connect** 5. Done! You now have free AI access. ### Option B: API Key Provider (Paid) 1. Get an API key from the provider's website: - **OpenAI**: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys - **Anthropic**: https://console.anthropic.com/ - **Google**: https://aistudio.google.com/apikey - **DeepSeek**: https://platform.deepseek.com/ - **Groq**: https://console.groq.com/ 2. Open the dashboard at `http://localhost:20128` 3. Go to **Providers** → **Add Provider** 4. Select your provider 5. Paste your API key 6. Click **Connect** 7. Done! You now have access to that provider's models. ### Option C: OAuth Provider (Subscription) 1. Open the dashboard at `http://localhost:20128` 2. Go to **Providers** → **Add Provider** 3. Select your provider (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) 4. Click **Connect with OAuth** 5. Login with your account 6. Done! You now have access to your subscription models. --- ## Best Free Providers These providers offer **free access** with no credit card: | Provider | Free Quota | Models | How to Connect | | ----------------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------- | -------------- | | **Kiro AI** | 50 credits/month | Claude Sonnet 4.5, Haiku 4.5, Opus 4.6 | No auth needed | | **OpenCode Free** | Unlimited | GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini | No auth needed | | **Pollinations** | No key needed | GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama 4 | No auth needed | | **LongCat** | 10M one-time | LongCat-2.0 | API key + KYC | | **Cloudflare AI** | 10K neurons/day | 50+ models | No auth needed | | **NVIDIA NIM** | ~40 RPM | 129 models | API key needed | | **Cerebras** | 1M tokens/day | Qwen3 235B, GPT-OSS 120B | API key needed | | **Qwen** | Unlimited | Qwen3-coder-plus/flash/next | No auth needed | | **Qoder** | Unlimited | Kimi-K2, DeepSeek-R1, Qwen3-coder | No auth needed | **Tip**: Connect multiple free providers for **unlimited free AI** with automatic fallback! --- ## Best Paid Providers These providers offer **high-quality models** with API keys: | Provider | Best Models | Cost | Free Tier | | ------------- | --------------------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------ | | **OpenAI** | GPT-5, GPT-4o | $2.50-$10/1M tokens | $5 free credits | | **Anthropic** | Claude Opus 4.6, Sonnet 4.6 | $3-$15/1M tokens | $5 free credits | | **Google** | Gemini 2.5 Pro, Flash | $0.075-$1.25/1M tokens | 1,500 req/day free | | **DeepSeek** | DeepSeek V4 | $0.14-$0.28/1M tokens | 5M free tokens | | **Groq** | Llama 4, Mixtral | $0.05-$0.27/1M tokens | 30 RPM free | | **xAI** | Grok 3 | $0.30-$0.60/1M tokens | — | --- ## How to Connect a Provider (Step-by-Step) ### Step 1: Open the Dashboard Go to `http://localhost:20128` in your browser. ### Step 2: Go to Providers Click **Providers** in the sidebar. ### Step 3: Click Add Provider Click the **+ Add Provider** button. ### Step 4: Select Your Provider Browse the list or search for your provider. Click on it. ### Step 5: Enter Credentials - **Free providers**: No credentials needed — just click **Connect** - **API key providers**: Paste your API key - **OAuth providers**: Click **Connect with OAuth** and login ### Step 6: Test the Connection Click **Test Connection** to verify it works. ### Step 7: Done! Your provider is now connected. You can use it with `model: "auto"` or specify the provider directly. --- ## Using Multiple Providers OmniRoute works best with **multiple providers**. This gives you: - **Automatic fallback** — If one provider fails, OmniRoute tries the next - **Cost optimization** — OmniRoute picks the cheapest provider for each request - **Speed optimization** — OmniRoute picks the fastest provider for each request - **Quality optimization** — OmniRoute picks the best provider for each task ### Recommended Setup Connect at least **3 providers** for the best experience: 1. **One free provider** (Kiro, OpenCode Free, or Pollinations) — Always available 2. **One fast provider** (Groq, Cerebras) — For quick responses 3. **One quality provider** (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) — For complex tasks Then use `model: "auto"` and OmniRoute will automatically pick the best one for each request. --- ## Provider-Specific Setup ### OpenAI 1. Get API key: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys 2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → OpenAI 3. Paste API key → Connect ### Anthropic 1. Get API key: https://console.anthropic.com/ 2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → Anthropic 3. Paste API key → Connect ### Google (Gemini) 1. Get API key: https://aistudio.google.com/apikey 2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → Gemini 3. Paste API key → Connect ### DeepSeek 1. Get API key: https://platform.deepseek.com/ 2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → DeepSeek 3. Paste API key → Connect ### Groq 1. Get API key: https://console.groq.com/ 2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → Groq 3. Paste API key → Connect --- ## Common Questions ### "Do I need to pay to use OmniRoute?" **No!** OmniRoute is free and open-source. You can use free providers (Kiro, OpenCode Free, Pollinations) without paying anything. You only pay if you choose to use paid providers. ### "Which provider should I start with?" Start with **Kiro AI** — it's free, requires no API key, and gives you access to Claude models. Then add more providers as needed. ### "Can I use multiple providers at once?" **Yes!** That's the whole point of OmniRoute. Connect multiple providers and use `model: "auto"` to let OmniRoute pick the best one for each request. ### "What if a provider goes down?" OmniRoute automatically skips failed providers and tries the next one. You don't need to do anything. ### "How do I disconnect a provider?" Go to Providers → click on the provider → click **Disconnect**. ### "Can I use my existing API keys?" **Yes!** If you already have API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc., you can use them in OmniRoute. Just paste them when connecting the provider. --- ## What's Next? - **[Auto-Combo Guide](./AUTO-COMBO-GUIDE.md)** — Let OmniRoute pick the best AI for you - **[Free Tiers Guide](./FREE-TIERS-GUIDE.md)** — Get free AI with no credit card - **[Troubleshooting](./TROUBLESHOOTING.md)** — Fix common issues - **[Provider Reference](../reference/PROVIDER_REFERENCE.md)** — Full list of 226 providers