LowRouter
OpenAI-compatible gateway to 23 AI providers with EU-sovereign routing and carbon data on every call
Quick Overview
| Company | Carbonifer SAS |
|---|---|
| Category | LLM API Providers |
| Headquarters | Nantes, France |
| EU Presence | EU (France) |
| Data Location | Platform hosted by OVHcloud (Gravelines, France) with Scaleway as a further French sub-processor; requests go to the AI provider chosen or allowed by the routing policy |
| Open Source | No |
| Pricing | Pay as you go, no subscription and no seats. Tokens are billed at the upstream provider's own per-token price with no per-token markup (non-EUR prices converted to EUR daily plus a 1% conversion buffer). A single fee applies on each prepaid credit top-up: business rate 5.5% + €0.30 (verified EU VAT number), standard rate 6.5% + €0.30, international rate 8.5% + €0.30 (billing address outside the EU/EEA). Minimum top-up €5.00, €100.00 per purchase for new accounts, credits valid 12 months. |
| Free Option | Request an invite for €5 of trial credit; €5 minimum top-up otherwise |
| Replaces | OpenRouter, Portkey |
Detailed Review
LowRouter is an AI gateway run by Carbonifer SAS in Nantes, France. Rather than hosting models itself, it gives teams one OpenAI-compatible API key and one invoice in euros for models from 23 providers, and routes each request by rules the customer sets: EU-sovereign providers only, the lowest price, the cleanest electricity grid, or a mix.
Its sovereignty controls are explicit. A routing policy can deny every route whose provider is controlled from outside Europe under the US CLOUD Act, and the trust centre publishes which routes are exposed: 15 of 61 are not. The platform itself runs on OVHcloud in France, and every response carries an estimate of energy and carbon use.
It is a young product and a router, not an inference host, so it is weaker than Scaleway, OVHcloud or Mistral AI where you want one provider accountable end to end. Requests can reach US providers if the user chooses them or leaves routing unrestricted, and the data processing agreement is still a draft under legal review. Token prices are passed through, with a fee only on top-ups.
What LowRouter does well
- One OpenAI-compatible API and one euro invoice across many providers
- Routing can be locked to EU-sovereign providers per request or per API key
- Per-route CLOUD Act exposure is published in the trust centre
- Carbon, grid and cost estimate returned with every response
- No subscription or seats, and no per-token markup (5.5% to 8.5% + €0.30 fee per top-up)
Where LowRouter falls short
- A router, not an inference host, so accountability is split across upstream providers
- Unrestricted routing can send requests to US providers
- Data processing agreement is still a draft under legal review
- Much smaller and newer than the established providers on this page
Standout feature. It combines multi-provider routing with published CLOUD Act exposure per route and a carbon estimate on every call.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- One OpenAI-compatible API and one euro invoice across many providers
- Routing can be locked to EU-sovereign providers per request or per API key
- Per-route CLOUD Act exposure is published in the trust centre
- Carbon, grid and cost estimate returned with every response
- No subscription or seats, and no per-token markup (5.5% to 8.5% + €0.30 fee per top-up)
Cons
- A router, not an inference host, so accountability is split across upstream providers
- Unrestricted routing can send requests to US providers
- Data processing agreement is still a draft under legal review
- Much smaller and newer than the established providers on this page
Alternatives to LowRouter
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LowRouter?
LowRouter is an AI gateway run by Carbonifer SAS in Nantes, France. Rather than hosting models itself, it gives teams one OpenAI-compatible API key and one invoice in euros for models from 23 providers, and routes each request by rules the customer sets: EU-sovereign providers only, the lowest price, the cleanest electricity grid, or a mix.
Where is LowRouter based?
LowRouter operates from Nantes, France, which places it under EU (France).
What does LowRouter cost?
Pay as you go, no subscription and no seats. Tokens are billed at the upstream provider's own per-token price with no per-token markup (non-EUR prices converted to EUR daily plus a 1% conversion buffer).
A single fee applies on each prepaid credit top-up: business rate 5.5% + €0.30 (verified EU VAT number), standard rate 6.5% + €0.30, international rate 8.5% + €0.30 (billing address outside the EU/EEA). Minimum top-up €5.00, €100.00 per purchase for new accounts, credits valid 12 months.. Request an invite for €5 of trial credit; €5 minimum top-up otherwise.
Who is LowRouter best for?
Teams wanting one euro bill across many models. It combines multi-provider routing with published CLOUD Act exposure per route and a carbon estimate on every call.
What are the drawbacks of LowRouter?
A router, not an inference host, so accountability is split across upstream providers. Unrestricted routing can send requests to US providers. Data processing agreement is still a draft under legal review. Much smaller and newer than the established providers on this page.
Is LowRouter a good alternative to OpenRouter?
LowRouter is built as a European alternative to OpenRouter: OpenAI-compatible gateway to 23 AI providers with EU-sovereign routing and carbon data on every call. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
How does LowRouter compare to other LLM API Providers tools?
LowRouter is one of several European LLM API Providers tools we cover. It is most often compared with OpenRouter, Portkey.