Why OpenRouter Requests Are Slower Than Direct API Connections in FreshRank

This article explains why OpenRouter requests in FreshRank take longer than direct OpenAI connections and what options you have to reduce response times.

Higher Latency Than Expected

Problem: OpenRouter requests seem slower than direct OpenAI connections.

Explanation: OpenRouter routes requests through their infrastructure, which may add slight latency compared to direct provider connections. This is normal and the trade-off for accessing 450+ models through a single API.

Solutions:

1. Choose faster models (like Claude Haiku or GPT-3.5 Turbo)
2. Be patient - the flexibility is worth the small delay
3. For time-critical tasks, consider using OpenAI directly