Cycling through all six. Tap any point to stop.

Measured on six things

Affordable LLM API access to multiple AI models with one key.

Security

HTTPS enforced with SPF and DMARC, but HSTS, CSP, frame protection and most hardening headers are missing (4/12 checklist). No SOC 2, ISO or bug-bounty signals published.

Screenshots

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AELDER

About this app

AELDER is a beta API service for developers providing access to GPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek and other AI models with one key and a prepaid balance. Connect through an OpenAI-compatible API or use supported tools including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode. Pricing is pay per token with no subscription; top-ups start at $5. Published input and output token rates are up to 91% lower than stated official rates, depending on the model and token type. Model availability and prices can change.

Key features

1One OpenAI-compatible API key across 45 models (GPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi and more).
2Pay-per-token pricing with no subscription; top-ups start at $5 with up to 15% bonus credit.
3Drop-in support for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, OpenCode and other OpenAI-compatible tools.

Target customer profile

Drawn from the product itself, not from a survey.

Demographic

Indie developers and solo AI builders

Pain points

Official API bills balloon quickly when experimenting

Primary needs

Cheap token access with one key and no monthly fee

Scout Review

Written by AI from measured evidence, scored out of 100.

AELDER is a beta, OpenAI-compatible multi-model API gateway aimed at indie developers who want cheap token access without a subscription. The site is fast, well-typed and unusually honest about pricing — struck-through official rates, a working savings calculator, and a base URL on the homepage. Docs are tight and practical. The weaknesses are the ones you'd expect from a young reseller: noisy decimal formatting, clipped UI details, a thin security-header posture, and no published compliance or audit signals. Against OpenRouter it wins on price and loses on catalog breadth, brand trust and ecosystem maturity.

Measure by measure

Usability

Docs give a clean 3-step connect flow with cURL and Python examples, base URL on the homepage, and a 'Works with' grid. Billing caveats hide in tiny grey monospace footnotes.

Design

Editorial serif/mono typography, a working savings calculator and struck-through pricing make the value proposition legible. Undone by 12-decimal prices, a clipped ticker and wrapping filter chips.

Speed

Lighthouse mobile 98/100 (LCP 1.1s, TBT 37ms, CLS 0.006) and desktop 100/100. Genuinely fast, static-feeling page with no measured lag complaints.

Security

HTTPS enforced with SPF and DMARC, but HSTS, CSP, frame protection and most hardening headers are missing (4/12 checklist). No SOC 2, ISO or bug-bounty signals published.

Accessibility

Lighthouse accessibility 100/100 on automated checks, responsive layout and clear nav. No WCAG statement or multi-language support published, so the score sits mid-band.

Growth

Real pain (API bills ballooning), specific audience (indie devs), clear price wedge. But it's a discount reseller against OpenRouter's catalog and trust — headroom exists, moat doesn't.

Improvement areas

Pricing table shows cached/output rates to 12 decimals — visually noisy and unpolished.
Security headers thin (4/12): no HSTS, CSP, frame protection or Referrer-Policy.
No published compliance, audit or bug-bounty signals; billing caveats hidden in tiny grey footnotes.

Design & Usability

AELDER's homepage is more crafted than most API resellers: serif display type, monospace labels, a live savings calculator and a pricing table that strikes through official rates so the discount reads instantly. The base URL sits right on the homepage and the 'Works with' grid names Cursor, Claude Code, Codex and VS Code — exactly what a developer scanning for a drop-in endpoint wants. Docs carry the same discipline: three steps, copy-paste cURL and Python examples, env-var hygiene advice. The cracks are cosmetic but real — cached and output prices render to twelve decimals, the price ticker is clipped at both edges, filter chips wrap unevenly, and the billing caveats hide in tiny light-grey monospace.

Speed & Security

Speed is the standout: Lighthouse mobile 98/100 with LCP 1.1s and TBT 37ms, desktop a clean 100/100. The page feels static and snappy, and nothing in the collected evidence suggests lag complaints. Security is the weak flank. HTTPS is enforced and SPF/DMARC are set, but the header probe found no HSTS, no CSP, no frame protection, no X-Content-Type-Options, no Referrer-Policy and no Permissions-Policy — 4 of 12 checklist points. For a service that holds prepaid balances and API keys, that's thin. No SOC 2, ISO, pen-test or bug-bounty page was found, which is normal for a beta but leaves buyers with only the basics to trust.

Accessibility & Growth

Accessibility scores 100/100 on Lighthouse's automated axe-core pass, and the site is responsive with clear navigation — but there's no WCAG conformance statement and no multi-language support mentioned, so the score sits mid-band rather than at the top. Growth is a judgement on the idea: the pain is real (official API bills balloon during experimentation), the audience is specific (indie devs and solo builders), and the wedge is concrete — one OpenAI-compatible key, no subscription, $5 minimum top-up, up to 91% below official rates. The limit is structural: AELDER is a discount reseller competing with OpenRouter, which has a far larger catalog and brand trust. Price alone is a moat anyone can undercut.

Conclusion

If you're a solo builder burning through official API bills on experiments, AELDER is worth a $5 test — the endpoint is drop-in, the docs are copy-paste, and the savings math is on the page. Treat it as a beta: keep balances small, don't route production traffic through it yet, and watch for the security headers and compliance story to mature. If you need a large model catalog, community trust or enterprise paperwork, OpenRouter remains the safer default.

Suggestions for improvement

Round cached and output prices to 4–6 decimals in the pricing table; 12-decimal floats read as machine output, not pricing.
Fix the price ticker clipping and make the provider filter chips wrap into a clean grid instead of two uneven rows.
Add HSTS, CSP, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy and Permissions-Policy — most are one-line header changes.
Publish a short security/trust page (data handling, key storage, incident contact) and an accessibility statement.

How we score

Alternatives comparison

Named competitors, point by point. Nobody paid to appear here or to be left out.

	AELDER	OpenRouter
Pricing model	Pay per token, no subscription; $5 minimum top-up	Pay per token with optional credits; no subscription
Model catalog size	45 models across OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, Zhipu, MiniMax	Hundreds of models from many providers, frequently updated
API compatibility	OpenAI Chat Completions, OpenAI Responses, Anthropic Messages	OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions with provider routing options
Discount vs official rates	Advertised up to 91% below official token rates	Varies by provider; typically near official rates plus a small fee
Developer tool integrations	Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, OpenCode, Hermes Agent, OpenClaw	Broad OpenAI-compatible tool support; widely documented
Trust & compliance signals	Beta; no SOC 2, ISO or bug-bounty page found	Established brand with public status page and broader ecosystem trust