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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about MixRoute, our API gateway, pricing, security, and more.

6 Categories 29 Questions

01 / Home

Why not just use the official API directly?

You absolutely can,and you will pay the same price. MixRoute gives you five things the official API does not: one key for all providers, reserved capacity that bypasses public rate limits, automatic failover when a provider goes down, cross-timezone scheduling that keeps capacity working 24/7, and a unified bill instead of juggling 3-5 separate accounts.

How is this different from OpenRouter?

OpenRouter charges a 5.5% platform fee on credit purchases. We charge zero. Same models, same API compatibility, but your budget goes 100% to tokens. More importantly, we hold reserved capacity and do cross-timezone scheduling,that is infrastructure-level reliability that a pure routing layer cannot offer. We also provide local invoices for Asian markets that OpenRouter does not support.

Zero markup,how do you make money?

We are an authorized cloud reseller for AWS, GCP, and Azure with volume agreements. Our business model is the same as any cloud reseller,we earn through our provider partnerships, not by charging you more. It is how the cloud distribution industry has worked for decades.

Do you store my prompts or responses?

No. We do not store your prompts or responses by default. Only metadata,token counts, latency, cost,is retained for billing and your usage dashboard. See our Privacy Policy for the full details.

What is "reserved capacity" exactly?

We purchase dedicated throughput (Provisioned Throughput) from cloud providers. Your API requests are routed through this reserved pool,not the shared public queue that every other user competes for. This means significantly lower latency and near-zero 429 errors, even during peak hours. Our global scheduling system dynamically allocates this capacity across time zones, so someone is always using it and nothing goes to waste.

What does "one key" actually mean?

One MixRoute API key gives you access to Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, and 200+ other models from every major provider. No separate accounts, no separate billing, no separate dashboards. Change the model name in your request and you are calling a different provider,same key, same endpoint, same SDK.

02 / Pricing

Can the first-top-up bonus stack with the regular tier bonus?

Yes. On your first top-up, you get both the first-deposit bonus and the regular tier bonus for the amount you deposit, the two stack for maximum rewards.

Does my credit balance expire?

No. All credits are valid forever, with no expiration. Whether you top up through self-serve or an enterprise plan, your balance never expires. Use the API at your own pace, you never have to worry about losing unused credit.

What payment methods do you support?

Self-serve tiers accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB) and cryptocurrency (USDT / USDC). Enterprise plans primarily use bank wire transfer, come with an invoice, and offer flexible payment terms.

How do I sign up for an enterprise plan?

Any single top-up of $30,000 USD or more qualifies for enterprise onboarding. Click Contact Sales and our team will reach out within 24 hours with a tailored quote, contract, and bonus plan up to 25%.

03 / Affiliate

Can rewards and commissions be withdrawn as cash?

Rewards and commissions are platform API credit. Once transferred to your account balance they can be spent, and they are eligible for the daily spend-back program (see the pricing page for details). Cash withdrawal is not supported at this time.

Does spending on every model count toward commissions?

Almost all models count toward commissions; a few specific models are excluded, and spending on them is not counted toward volume or commissions. See the reference list for details.

After I level up, is my earlier volume recalculated at the new rate?

No. Share rates are calculated in tiers. A new rate applies only to volume earned after you cross the threshold; earlier volume is never recalculated.

Example: once your total volume reaches $8,000 and you hit Platinum, only volume after that earns 3%. So when your total volume reaches $8,200, only the $200 above the threshold earns 3%; everything up to $8,000 stays at the rate of the tier you were in at the time.

When are rewards and commissions paid out?

Once your friend completes their first top-up and spends $20, the invite reward is credited automatically. As a partner, last month’s commission is settled automatically on the 1st of each month.

Do I need tech skills or a website to join?

Not at all. You don’t need to code or build a website. Just copy your unique link and share it on social, your blog, YouTube, or directly with friends to start promoting.

04 / About

Who operates MixRoute?

MixRoute is built and operated by ELITE CLOUD. Since 2022, ELITE CLOUD has served 2,100+ enterprise customers worldwide and holds 150+ cloud certifications as an official partner of AWS, GCP, and Azure.

How can you offer 0% markup?

Our business model works the same way the cloud reseller industry has for decades: we earn through supplier partnerships, not by marking up your bill. Billing follows official pricing, and usage is auditable line by line.

Will my data be retained?

No. Your content exists in memory only while it is being processed. Nothing is written, logged, or used for training. We retain only the usage data required for billing and never touch your actual content.

How is MixRoute different from other aggregation platforms?

Aggregation platforms typically add a 5–10% fee and route requests through the public queue. MixRoute charges 0% markup at official pricing, routes requests through reserved capacity instead of the public queue, and fails over in milliseconds when a provider goes down so your service stays up.

How do I get started?

Go to console.mixroute.ai to register and get one API key for 200+ mainstream models. It is OpenAI SDK compatible, so switching models takes just one parameter change. A limited-time free trial is available now.

05 / Smart Routing

Does Smart Routing add latency?

Yes. Triage adds one extra step, and the time varies with request length. It’s a trade: a little time for 20–40% off your costs. For latency-critical endpoints, use a regular key to call a specific model directly and skip the router.

Does the routing model see my data?

It reads, it never stores. Request content is classified in memory in real time, cleared immediately afterward, and passed through to the target model untouched. Nothing is written to persistent storage, consistent with MixRoute’s zero data retention policy.

What if the router gets it wrong? Can I force a specific model?

Your model pool is the insurance: the router only ever chooses among models you’ve authorized and never assigns anything outside the pool. If some traffic must always hit one specific model, create a separate regular key for it and call that model directly.

How is this different from auto-routing on other platforms?

One word: control. Most auto-routers are a total black box where the platform decides everything. MixRoute’s Smart Routing runs inside a model pool you define, with zero data retention and a savings dashboard. You always know where the money is saved and where your data goes.

Do I need to change my code?

No. Create a Smart Routing API key in the console and swap it in for your current key. The API call format stays exactly the same.

How does pricing work?

Free for a limited time. Once the free period ends, only requests that go through Smart Routing are charged a 5% service fee on that request’s cost. It’s deducted from your credit balance, with a transparent, itemized bill.

06 / Savings Calculator

How can MixRoute charge zero markup?

MixRoute is built by a cloud infrastructure company. We monetize enterprise contracts and committed-use volume with providers — not per-token markups on developers. Routing your requests at list price costs us almost nothing at our scale, and it earns your workload.

Where do the model prices come from?

Straight from each provider’s published pricing page — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and the rest. We pass them through 1:1. Check any price on our models page against the provider’s own site.

How do I migrate from OpenRouter?

MixRoute is OpenAI-compatible. Point your base URL at api.mixroute.ai, swap in your MixRoute key, and keep the same model names. Most teams are done in under five minutes — migration guide here.