Staxly

PocketBase vs OpenRouter

Open-source backend in a single Go binary
vs. Unified API for 300+ LLMs across 60+ providers — 1 key, any model

PocketBase (OSS)OpenRouter website

Pricing tiers

PocketBase

Self-Hosted
MIT-licensed single binary. Run on any VPS / Docker / bare metal. No usage caps — only limited by your server.
$0 base (usage-based)
PocketBase (OSS)

OpenRouter

Free
25+ free models. 50 requests/day rate limit. 1M free requests/month base.
Free
Pay-as-you-go
5.5% platform fee on usage. Access to 300+ models, 60+ providers. High global rate limits.
$0 base (usage-based)
Enterprise
Volume-based pricing, bulk discounts, SSO/SAML, dedicated rate limits. 5M free requests/month.
Custom
OpenRouter website

Free-tier quotas head-to-head

Comparing self-hosted on PocketBase vs free on OpenRouter.

MetricPocketBaseOpenRouter
No overlapping quota metrics for these tiers.

Features

PocketBase · 12 features

  • Access RulesRecord-level access rules (filter expressions) referencing @request and @collect
  • Admin DashboardBuilt-in web UI for schema + data management.
  • AuthEmail+password, OAuth2 (Google, GitHub, Facebook, Apple, Discord, Microsoft, etc
  • BackupsBuilt-in backup/restore with S3 upload option.
  • Built-in MailerSMTP integration for verification, password reset, magic link emails.
  • CollectionsSchema-defined record types with fields, validations, and record/admin/auth acce
  • Embedded JS EngineJavaScript VM (goja) lets you write hooks in JS without recompiling.
  • Extend as Go LibraryEmbed PocketBase in a larger Go app, add custom routes and events.
  • File StorageLocal filesystem or S3-compatible storage with access rules.
  • HooksServer-side Go or JavaScript hooks that run on CRUD events (OnRecordBeforeCreate
  • MigrationsJS/Go migration scripts applied on startup.
  • Realtime SubscriptionsSSE-based subscriptions to collection changes.

OpenRouter · 15 features

  • 300+ ModelsClaude, GPT, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, Qwen, DeepSeek, Cohere, Grok + open-source.
  • 60+ ProvidersAnthropic, OpenAI, Google, Together, Fireworks, Groq, DeepInfra, Replicate, etc.
  • Auto FallbackAutomatic retry to backup provider on failure.
  • Bring Your Own KeyUse your own provider keys → pay providers directly + no platform fee.
  • Credit SystemPrepay credits via card, crypto, or bank.
  • Data Retention ControlsOpt-out of training/retention per provider.
  • Free Models Tier25+ models available at $0 (limited rate).
  • Prompt CachingAutomatic cache for identical prefixes (provider-dependent).
  • Provider PreferencesPin preferred providers per request or default.
  • Rankings & StatsPublic leaderboard of most-used models.
  • Regional RoutingRoute requests to specific geographic regions.
  • StreamingSSE + partial completions.
  • Structured OutputsJSON-mode + JSON schema across supporting models.
  • Tool Use / Function CallingUnified tool calling across providers.
  • Unified OpenAI-Compat APISame endpoint for every model + provider.

Developer interfaces

KindPocketBaseOpenRouter
SDKGo API (extend as library), pocketbase (Dart), pocketbase (JS SDK)Any OpenAI SDK
RESTREST APIOpenRouter API (OpenAI-compat)
MCPOpenRouter MCP
OTHERAdmin Dashboard, Realtime SSEOpenRouter Dashboard
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Outbound links to PocketBase and OpenRouter are plain references to their official websites. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.

Want this comparison in your AI agent's context? Install the free Staxly MCP server.