Comparison
FastMetal compared with the alternatives
There is more than one good way to use AI models over an API, and each has cases it genuinely wins. Here is an honest look at the alternatives we get compared with most.
FastMetal vs OpenRouter
Two gateways with the same idea, built for different markets.
FastMetal vs Lolipop! AI Gateway
Two yen-billed gateways. Payment methods and modalities are where they part.
FastMetal vs OrcaRouter
Two gateways that route automatically. Currency and payment are where they part.
Claude API: FastMetal vs contracting Anthropic directly
Claude Code and the official SDK work unchanged. What differs is the contract and the invoice.
GPT-family models: FastMetal vs contracting OpenAI directly
Chat completions through the gateway. Features only the direct API has, through the direct API.
Models processed in Japan: FastMetal vs overseas hosting
For a set of models, prompts are processed entirely inside Japan.
FastMetal vs self-hosted LLMs (Ollama and friends)
Local inference and an API gateway solve slightly different problems.