Always one frontier model
Simple. Quality is consistent. The bill is also consistent — everyday refactors and 'ok' turns pay frontier rates. No cross-client memory unless the editor ships its own.
Other ways to
buy the same work.
You can send every turn to one frontier model. You can build your own retrieval layer. Both are valid. Strix exists when you want lanes, filtering, and account memory without standing up that stack.
01 / TWO COMMON PATHS
DIY RAG / memory / Mem0
Strix memory ships in the gateway you already call: silent extract and inject, project scopes, pin/CRUD, recall, history, feedback, batch, MCP, forget — same strix_ key. Mem0 keeps the graph, connectors, and SDK. See vs Mem0.
OpenRouter (or another gateway) alone
You pick models per request. Fine if you already classify work yourself. Strix is the classifier, filter, and memory layer in front of that gateway. See vs OpenRouter.
02 / WHEN NOT TO USE STRIX
Skip us if this is you.
You want a single vendor model with no router. You need a full-document RAG corpus, not short derived facts. You will not store an OpenRouter key. You need us to host inference without BYOK — that is not the default product.
Still comparing? Compare index · OpenRouter · Cursor · Mem0 · Memory · Pricing
FAQ
Straight answers
before you start.
Trial needs an OpenRouter key. Tokens stay on their bill. Strix is the router.
- Do I bring my own OpenRouter key?
- Yes. The 7-day trial and paid plans require an OpenRouter key (BYOK). OpenRouter bills model tokens at their rates. Strix sells routing, memory, and the control plane — not a token markup on BYOK inference.
- What am I paying Strix for?
- Nine public intent models, payload filtering, failover, a memory layer (cross-session facts, Cohere rerank, forget/export), and Team seats/keys/spend controls. Auto plus cheap lanes such as quick and coding keep everyday turns off always-Sonnet pricing.
- Which clients work?
- Any OpenAI-compatible client, plus Anthropic /v1/messages. That includes Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cline, and Continue — not Cursor only. Point the base URL at api.strixgate.dev and use a strix_* key.
- Is uncensored or Venice required?
- No. Uncensored is an optional lane. Venice is used only if you store a Venice key. Default routing stays on OpenRouter with your key.
- Do you log prompts?
- No prompt logging for training or human review of your request bodies. We meter usage, lanes, and spend. You can forget or export stored memory facts from the dashboard.
- How is this different from OpenRouter or Cursor alone?
- OpenRouter still bills tokens — you bring that key. Strix sits in front with lanes, filtering, and memory. Cursor is one supported client, not the only one. Use Compare in the nav for OpenRouter, Cursor, and alternatives pages.
- How does Team pricing work?
- Team is $99/month with three seats included, then $20 per extra seat. Builder is $29/month for one person. Both include a 7-day trial.