Compare protocol support and model availability
Both Aiduct and OpenRouter document Anthropic Messages-compatible access for Claude Code. Compare the exact models, supported parameters, current rates and routing behavior required by your workflow.
OpenRouter alternative
An OpenRouter alternative built for Claude Code.
Claude Code is not just another OpenAI-compatible client. It benefits from native Anthropic Messages semantics, which Aiduct exposes directly alongside OpenAI-compatible routes.
AIDUCT CLAUDE CODE ROUTE
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.aiduct.ai export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=sk-aiduct-... claude
BILLING
Published pricing
PROTOCOL
Native Messages
TOP-UP
Prepaid USD
Using Aiduct with Claude Code
Aiduct keeps Claude Code on a Claude-native endpoint while still giving you one dashboard, one key, and the option to use OpenAI SDK routes elsewhere.
Comparison
| AREA | AIDUCT | ALTERNATIVE |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code protocol | Native Anthropic Messages | Anthropic Messages-compatible endpoint |
| Credit purchase surcharge | No credit-purchase surcharge | Check current OpenRouter purchase terms |
| Debugging | Usage records with request ids | Provider-dependent routing logs |
Sources
OpenRouter Claude Code documentation
Reviewed:
FAQ
Is Aiduct a direct OpenRouter replacement for Claude Code?+
Yes for Claude Code workflows that need a third-party endpoint and usage-based billing.
Can I still use OpenAI-compatible APIs?+
Yes. Aiduct also exposes OpenAI-compatible /v1 routes for chat, responses, images, audio, video, and embeddings.
Does Aiduct add a credit surcharge?+
Aiduct credits the purchased USD balance without a separate credit-purchase surcharge. Model usage is billed at Aiduct's published rates; this does not imply every rate equals the model provider's direct price.