9Router is a comprehensive, open-source AI router and token-saving platform designed to maximize the efficiency and affordability of AI-powered coding tools. Its primary goal is to enable unlimited, free, or low-cost access to advanced AI models for coding assistance, while minimizing token usage and avoiding common limitations such as rate limits, subscription quotas, and expensive API costs. 9Router achieves this by connecting popular AI coding tools—including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline, Copilot, Antigravity, OpenClaw, and others—to over 40 AI providers and more than 100 models, supporting both free and paid tiers.
A standout feature of 9Router is the RTK Token Saver, which automatically compresses tool outputs (such as git diffs, grep results, and directory listings) before sending them to large language models (LLMs). This compression typically saves 20-40% of input tokens per request, reducing costs and extending the utility of subscription quotas. Additionally, the platform offers a "Caveman Mode" that prompts LLMs to reply in a terse, technical style, potentially saving up to 65% of output tokens.
9Router employs a smart, three-tier fallback system to ensure uninterrupted service. When a user's subscription quota is exhausted, the router automatically switches to cheaper providers, and if those are unavailable or reach budget limits, it falls back to free providers. This seamless routing ensures that users never experience downtime or have to manually switch providers. The platform also supports multi-account management, allowing users to add multiple accounts per provider and distribute requests via round-robin or priority-based routing for redundancy and load balancing.
The system is highly universal and compatible with any CLI tool that supports custom OpenAI endpoints. It features real-time quota tracking, live token counts, reset countdowns, and cost estimation for paid tiers. Users can create custom combinations of models and providers, tailoring fallback strategies to their specific needs. The platform also provides detailed request logging for debugging, cloud sync for configuration portability across devices, and usage analytics to help users monitor token consumption and optimize spending.
9Router supports a wide range of providers, including OAuth-based services (like Claude Code, Antigravity, Codex, GitHub, and Cursor), free providers (such as Kiro AI, OpenCode Free, and Vertex AI), and over 40 API key-based providers (including OpenRouter, GLM, Kimi, MiniMax, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, Groq, xAI, Mistral, Perplexity, Together AI, Fireworks, Cerebras, Cohere, NVIDIA, SiliconFlow, and many more). This extensive support ensures users can always find a suitable model and provider for their coding needs.
Deployment is flexible, with options for running locally, on a VPS, via Docker, or even on Cloudflare Workers. The dashboard provides a user-friendly interface for managing providers, monitoring usage, and configuring endpoints. 9Router is free to use, with no charges for the router itself; users only pay providers directly if they use paid services. The platform is ideal for developers seeking to maximize their AI coding capabilities while minimizing costs and avoiding service interruptions.
