OpenRouter image pricing: billable and unit vs Sume pricing
OpenRouter image pricing lines carry billable, unit and cost_usd. Sume's endpoints response shows lines with the same fields in its docs example.
An OpenRouter image pricing line has a billable (such as output_image), a unit (image, megapixel or token), a cost_usd, and an optional variant tier. Sume's endpoints response carries a similar line; the docs' example is { "billable": "output_image", "unit": "image", "cost_usd": 0.033 }, so it is priced per output image.
OpenRouter's fields are from its image generation guide and Sume's from Image generation, read 2026-10-01.
What do the pricing fields mean?
On OpenRouter, billable names what is charged, such as output_image, input_image or input_reference. unit says how it is counted. variant is an optional tier, with 2k and 4k given as examples of resolution-tiered pricing.
| Field | OpenRouter guide | Sume docs example |
|---|---|---|
billable | e.g. output_image | output_image |
unit | image, megapixel or token | image |
cost_usd | USD amount per unit | 0.033 in the example |
variant | Optional tier, e.g. 2k | Not shown in the docs example |
Where does Sume report it?
In the pricing array of the per-model endpoints record: GET /v1/images/models/{model_id}/endpoints. The docs describe pricing as "billable lines with cost information", next to supported_parameters, the definitive parameter set for the endpoint. Treat the example value as an example; read the live response for the model you call.
How do I estimate a request from the lines?
Find the line whose billable matches what you send, multiply cost_usd by the count in its unit, and add the lines together. With a per-image unit, the output side is the number of images times cost_usd. Before spending, compare with a preview; see the dry-run preview post.
Can the unit differ between providers?
On OpenRouter, yes: the guide lists three units, so code that assumes per-image will be wrong for a megapixel or token line. Branch on unit instead of assuming it. Sume's docs example uses image, so check the unit for each model you call.
Sources
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Written by Sume