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.
Provider Breakdown
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)
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"Anthropic
Claude Models
Best for
Coding, complex reasoning, long documents
Context window
200K tokens
Free tier
$5 credit
Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)
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"OpenRouter
⭐ Start hereAll Providers
Best for
Beginners, model switching, cost optimization
Context window
Varies by model
Free tier
$0 to start
Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)
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"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)
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"OpenAI
GPT Models
Best for
Creative writing, general tasks, image generation
Context window
128K tokens
Free tier
$5 credit
Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)
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"DeepSeek
DeepSeek Models
Best for
Coding, math, ultra-cheap inference
Context window
128K tokens
Free tier
Pay as you go
Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)
Strengths
- Cheapest serious model
- Strong at coding
- Open source
Weaknesses
- —Chinese company data concerns
- —Occasional censorship
OpenClaw config key
"model": "deepseek/deepseek-chat"Mistral
Mistral Models
Best for
EU/GDPR users, multilingual
Context window
128K tokens
Free tier
Pay as you go
Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)
Strengths
- GDPR compliant EU-based
- Strong multilingual
Weaknesses
- —Less capable than top tier
OpenClaw config key
"model": "mistral/mistral-small"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)
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"Local / Ollama
Run Locally
Best for
Zero cost, privacy, offline
Context window
128K tokens
Free tier
Free forever
Models & Pricing (per 1M tokens)
Strengths
- $0 per token
- Complete privacy
- M4 Pro runs 27B models
Weaknesses
- —Needs local hardware
- —Setup complexity
OpenClaw config key
"model": "ollama/gemma3:27b"Quick Comparison Table
| Provider | Cheapest Model | Best Model | Context | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash $0.075/M | Gemini 3.1 Pro $1.25/M | 1M | Free tier | |
| Anthropic | Haiku $0.25/M | Opus $15/M | 200K | $5 credit |
| OpenRouter | Varies | All models | Varies | $0 |
| xAI | Grok Mini | Grok 4 | 131K | Free tier |
| OpenAI | Mini $0.15/M | GPT-5 $2.50/M | 128K | $5 credit |
| DeepSeek | V3 $0.07/M | R1 $0.55/M | 128K | Pay as you go |
| Mistral | Small $0.10/M | Large $2/M | 128K | Pay as you go |
| Moonshot | K2.5 $0.50/M | K2.5 $0.50/M | 256K | Free tier |
| Local/Ollama | Free | Free | 128K | Free forever |
Flash $0.075/M
Gemini 3.1 Pro $1.25/M
1M
Free tier
Anthropic
Haiku $0.25/M
Opus $15/M
200K
$5 credit
OpenRouter
Varies
All models
Varies
$0
xAI
Grok Mini
Grok 4
131K
Free tier
OpenAI
Mini $0.15/M
GPT-5 $2.50/M
128K
$5 credit
DeepSeek
V3 $0.07/M
R1 $0.55/M
128K
Pay as you go
Mistral
Small $0.10/M
Large $2/M
128K
Pay as you go
Moonshot
K2.5 $0.50/M
K2.5 $0.50/M
256K
Free tier
Local/Ollama
Free
Free
128K
Free forever
Interactive Model Finder
Filter 20 top AI models by use case. Star ratings across Coding, Reasoning, and Creative tasks.
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Anthropic
Coding
Reason
Creative
Claude Opus 4.6
Anthropic
Coding
Reason
Creative
Claude Haiku 4
Anthropic
Coding
Reason
Creative
GPT-5
OpenAI
Coding
Reason
Creative
GPT-5 Mini
OpenAI
Coding
Reason
Creative
GPT-4o
OpenAI
Coding
Reason
Creative
Gemini 3.1 Pro
Coding
Reason
Creative
Gemini Flash
Coding
Reason
Creative
Gemini Flash Lite
Coding
Reason
Creative
Grok 4
xAI
Coding
Reason
Creative
DeepSeek V3
DeepSeek
Coding
Reason
Creative
DeepSeek R1
DeepSeek
Coding
Reason
Creative
Mistral Small
Mistral
Coding
Reason
Creative
Mistral Large
Mistral
Coding
Reason
Creative
Kimi K2.5
Moonshot
Coding
Reason
Creative
Llama 4 Scout (Local)
Meta/Ollama
Coding
Reason
Creative
Llama 4 Maverick (Local)
Meta/Ollama
Coding
Reason
Creative
Gemma 4 27B (Local)
Google/Ollama
Coding
Reason
Creative
Phi-4 (Local)
Microsoft/Ollama
Coding
Reason
Creative
Qwen 2.5 72B
Alibaba/OpenRouter
Coding
Reason
Creative
Showing 20 of 20 models · Prices per 1M input tokens
Quick Selection Guide
Pick the right model for your specific task in seconds.
Coding
Claude Sonnet or DeepSeek V3
Both score ★★★★★ on coding. DeepSeek 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
DeepSeek V3 or Gemini Flash
$0.07–0.075/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/DeepSeek.
- ~100K tokens/day
- Mostly GPT-5 Mini
- Some DeepSeek for complex tasks
Regular User
Most common~$50–100/mo
Daily use with a mix of models.
- ~500K tokens/day
- Sonnet/DeepSeek 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 Gemini Flash
It offers the best balance of context (1M), quality, and price at $0.075/M tokens. Use it as your default before trying others.
Use DeepSeek for Coding on a Budget
DeepSeek V3 at $0.07/M rivals much pricier models on coding tasks. Great for CI pipelines and automated code review.
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 Gemma 4 27B or Llama 4 Scout 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 DeepSeek V3 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:
// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.config.json
{
"model": "openrouter/openrouter/auto" // or any provider/model string
}Add API keys:
# 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-... openclaw config set DEEPSEEK_API_KEY sk-... # Or in ~/.zprofile / ~/.env export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-..." export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
Switch models per session:
# In chat, use model override commands: /model anthropic/claude-opus-4-6 /model google/gemini-flash /model deepseek/deepseek-chat /model ollama/gemma3:27b # Or set per-automation in your scripts: openclaw run --model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6 "Review this code..."
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to pick your first API?
Start with OpenRouter — free to start, access to every model. Set up OpenClaw in 30 minutes.