How to get a free OpenRouter key

OpenRouter is a service that lets you use AI models for free. With its key, Unpuzio recognizes food from a photo of your plate, a nutrition label or a description. It takes about 5 minutes and you don't need a credit card.

📸Food from photosPlates and nutrition labels
🆓FreeAbout 50 recognitions a day
💳No cardSign up with Google

⚠️ OpenRouter isn't available in some countries. If you see “Not available in your region”, use a VPN or pick another provider in Settings → AI.

On the OpenRouter website

  1. 1

    Open OpenRouter

    Go to openrouter.ai — on your phone or computer, either works. In the top-right corner, tap Sign Up.

  2. 2

    Create an account

    The easiest way is Continue with Google: pick your Google account and you're done. GitHub or email work too — with email you'll get a message with a confirmation link to tap. No credit card needed.

  3. 3

    Open the keys page

    Go to openrouter.ai/settings/keys. Or tap your avatar in the top-right corner and choose Keys.

  4. 4

    Create a key

    Tap Create API Key. In Name, type anything, for example Unpuzio. Leave the other fields (like Credit limit) as they are — free models don't cost anything. Tap Create.

  5. 5

    Copy the key

    You'll see a long string starting with sk-or-v1-. Tap the copy button next to it. The key is shown only once — if you close the window without copying it, just create a new one. Keep the key private: it works like a password.

In the Unpuzio app

  1. 6

    Open AI settings

    In Unpuzio, open the Settings tab → AI.

    Open AI settings
  2. 7

    Choose OpenRouter

    Tap Provider and pick OpenRouter from the list.

    Choose OpenRouter
  3. 8

    Paste the key

    Tap the sk-or-... field, press and hold, and choose Paste. Then tap Test connection at the bottom — you should see “Connection successful”. No need to change the models: the free openrouter/free is the default.

    Paste the key
  4. 9

    Done — snap your food

    Tap + — “Add food” now has a Photo button. Snap your plate or a label, check the grams and save.

    Done — snap your food

Troubleshooting

Is it really free?

Yes. Unpuzio uses OpenRouter's free models (openrouter/free), which cost nothing. The limit is about 50 requests a day. If you ever top up your OpenRouter balance with $10, the free-model limit rises to 1,000 requests a day.

“Not available in your region”

OpenRouter doesn't work in your country without a VPN. Turn on a VPN and try again — or choose another provider in Settings → AI.

“Too many requests” or error 429

You've hit the daily free limit, or the service is busy. Try again in a few minutes or tomorrow.

Recognition isn't accurate

Free models are weaker than paid ones. You can always fix grams and macros before saving. For the best accuracy, connect your own Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini key.

I lost my key

No problem: on the keys page, delete the old one, create a new one and paste it into Unpuzio.

Is it safe?

The key is stored in your iPhone's Keychain. Food photos and descriptions go straight from your phone to OpenRouter — Unpuzio never sees or stores them.