Open-weight AI models hit 71.7% of OpenRouter tokens
OpenRouter's analysis of its top 50 models shows open-weight models also peaked at 77.5% of tokens in July 2026.
Open-weight AI models accounted for 71.7% of the tokens processed across OpenRouter's top 50 models in September 2026, up from 26.8% in October 2025, according to an analysis published by OpenRouter and reported by GIGAZINE.
The shift amounts to a 44.9 percentage point increase over the period covered by the data. OpenRouter tracked usage across the 50 models with the highest token throughput on its platform.
Weekly token volume handled by open-weight models rose from 1.3 trillion to 83.5 trillion over the same span. The open-weight share peaked at 77.5% in July 2026, according to the analysis.
Price gap and quality gap
OpenRouter put average open-weight pricing at $0.28 per million input tokens and $1.62 per million output tokens. Closed models averaged $1.27 and $6.36 respectively.
On the Intelligence Index, the top closed model scored 57.6 against 46.3 for the best open-weight model. OpenRouter recommends starting with cheaper open-weight models and switching to closed ones only when quality differences show up in real work.
The company notes that the figures cover only its own top 50 models and do not represent the entire AI market.
Quick answers
How much cheaper are open-weight models on OpenRouter?
OpenRouter lists average open-weight pricing at $0.28 per million input tokens and $1.62 per million output tokens, against $1.27 and $6.36 for closed models.
Which models scored highest on the Intelligence Index?
The best closed model scored 57.6 and the best open-weight model scored 46.3, according to OpenRouter.