OpenRouter - Playground

📋 Service Information

Provider: OpenRouter
Service Type: Chatbot (Web Playground)
Access URL: https://openrouter.ai/playground
Free Tier: Free Forever (with usage limits)

🎯 Service Overview

OpenRouter Playground is a powerful web testing interface that allows you to test and compare 47+ free AI models directly in your browser without writing any code.

Key Advantages:

• 🎯 47+ Free Models - Test all models in one interface
• 🔄 Model Comparison - Test multiple models simultaneously
• 📊 Usage Statistics - View quotas and costs in real-time
• 🎛️ Parameter Adjustment - Customize generation parameters
• 💾 History Management - Save and manage conversations

🚀 How to Use

Prerequisites

• ✅ Registered OpenRouter account
• ✅ Created API key (Playground automatically uses it)

For detailed registration steps, see: OpenRouter Registration Guide

Usage Steps

Step 1: Access Playground

1. Visit: https://openrouter.ai/playground
2. Login with your account (automatically recognized)

Step 2: Select Model

Select free models (marked as FREE) in the model dropdown:

Recommended Models:

Step 3: Enter Prompt

1. Enter your question or prompt in the input box
2. Can use System Message to set role
3. Click send or press Enter

Step 4: Adjust Parameters (Optional)

Adjust generation parameters in the right panel:

🎨 Feature Highlights

1. Multi-Model Selection

Free Model Categories:

• 🏆 Top-tier Models: Llama 3.3/3.1 405B, DeepSeek R1
• 🚀 High-Performance Models: Qwen 3 235B, Mistral Small, Gemma 3 27B
• ⚡ Lightweight Models: Llama 3.2 3B, Gemma 3 4B, Mistral 7B
• 🎨 Multimodal Models: Qwen 2.5 VL, Nemotron Nano VL
• 💻 Code Models: Devstral, Qwen 3 Coder

How to View:

• Click model dropdown menu
• Look for models marked “FREE”
• Hover to view model details

2. System Message

Features:

• Define AI’s role and behavior
• Set output format and rules
• Provide background knowledge

Example:

You are a professional Python programming assistant.
Please provide:
1. Clear code examples
2. Detailed comments
3. Best practice suggestions

3. Conversation History Management

Features:

• 📝 Save Conversations - Save important conversations
• 🔄 Multi-turn Conversations - Automatically maintain context
• 📂 History - View past conversations
• 🗑️ Clear History - Start new conversations

4. Usage Statistics

Real-time Display:

• 💰 Cost Statistics - View cost per request (free models show $0)
• 📊 Token Count - Number of input/output tokens
• 📈 Quota Usage - Remaining requests for the day
• ⏱️ Response Time - Request duration

5. Model Comparison Mode

Features:

• Run multiple models simultaneously
• Compare output quality
• Compare response speed
• Select the most suitable model

Use Cases:

• Choose best model
• A/B testing
• Evaluate model performance

6. Export and Share

Features:

• 📤 Export Conversations - Save as text or JSON
• 🔗 Generate Links - Share conversations
• 📋 Copy Code - Quickly get API code

🔢 Usage Limits

Playground Quotas

Playground shares API quotas:

Actual Usage Experience

For Playground users:

• ✅ Basic tier suitable for light testing
• ✅ Upgraded tier suitable for frequent development
• ✅ All free models available

💡 Usage Tips

✅ Best Practices

1. Choose the Right Model

   Quick testing → Mistral 7B, Llama 3.2 3B
   General tasks → Llama 3.3 70B
   Complex tasks → Llama 3.1 405B
   Chinese optimization → Qwen 3 235B, DeepSeek V3
   Code tasks → Devstral, Qwen 3 Coder
   Math reasoning → DeepSeek R1

2. Optimize System Prompt

   • Clear role and task
   • Provide specific requirements
   • Give output examples

3. Leverage Comparison Feature

   • Test same prompt on different models
   • Find the model that best suits your task
   • Record best configurations

4. Monitor Quotas

   • Check remaining quota in top right
   • Allocate test attempts reasonably
   • Consider upgrading to 1000 times/day

5. Manage Conversation History

   • Save important test results
   • Regularly clean unnecessary history
   • Export valuable conversations

⚠️ Precautions

1. Quota Management

   • Playground shares quotas with API
   • Be aware of 50 times/day limit (basic tier)
   • Frequent testing recommends upgrading

2. Model Selection

   • Ensure selecting models marked FREE
   • Paid models consume balance
   • Can set credit limit in settings

3. Parameter Settings

   • High temperature causes unstable output
   • Max tokens affects quota consumption
   • Different models need different parameters

4. Network Requirements

   • Needs stable network connection
   • Mainland China access relatively smooth
   • Avoid delays caused by network proxies

🔧 Common Issues

1. Can’t Find Free Models?

Solutions:

1. Filter “FREE” in model list
2. Visit https://openrouter.ai/models
3. Confirm model names include :free suffix

2. Exceeded Quota Limit?

Solutions:

• Wait for next day quota reset (UTC time)
• Recharge $10 to upgrade to 1000 times/day
• Optimize testing strategy, reduce repeated requests

3. How to Save Test Results?

Methods:

1. Click save icon in top right of conversation
2. Use export function to save as file
3. Copy text and save manually

4. Response Quality Not Ideal?

Optimization Methods:

• Try different models
• Adjust System Prompt
• Modify Temperature and other parameters
• Provide more context

📚 Related Resources

Documentation and Tutorials

• OpenRouter Complete Guide
• API Service Guide
• Official Documentation

Model Information

• Free Models List
• Model Performance Comparison
• Model Update Log

🌟 Advanced Usage

Creating High-Quality Prompts

Structured Example:

System Message:
You are a professional technical documentation writer skilled at explaining complex concepts clearly.

User Message:
Topic: OpenRouter's Model Aggregation Feature
Requirements:
1. About 500 words
2. Include core advantages
3. Provide examples
4. Target developers

Comparison Testing Workflow

1. Prepare Same Prompt
2. Select 3-5 Candidate Models
3. Test One by One and Record Results
4. Compare Quality, Speed, Cost
5. Choose Optimal Model for Production

From Playground to API

1. Validate prompts and models in Playground
2. Fine-tune parameters for best results
3. Click “View Code” to export API code
4. Implement same configuration in application

Service Provider: OpenRouter