OpenRouter Blog9 min read
Model Routing for Support Bots: Cheap-First FAQ Handling
Cheap-first routing sends routine support questions to a small, inexpensive model and escalates selected hard or uncertain requests to a stronger one. This guide compares the three application-side routing patterns, separates what your application owns from what OpenRouter's Auto Router and model…
By OpenRouterOpenRouter Blog

Read the full story
Originally published by OpenRouter Blog on Oct 2, 2026.
Comments
Sign in to join the discussion.