Vibe Coding for Nearly Free: Claude Code + OpenRouter with Free Models
· 8 min read

I've been integrating AI into my development workflow, but I quickly realized that costs can spiral out of control if not monitored carefully. Premium AI coding assistants with their subscription models and "pro" tiers can easily become expensive-especially for personal and open-source projects where budgets are tight. I found myself needing to track every API call and watch my usage like a hawk.