Continuum AI Releases OrcaRouter and OrcaRouter Lite for Unified Model Inference

May 8, 2026
Continuum AI has introduced OrcaRouter and OrcaRouter Lite, a unified inference layer that routes across more than 200 language models with zero markup. The open-source Lite version is MIT licensed and self-hostable, while the hosted version offers adaptive routing and unified billing.

Continuum AI has released OrcaRouter and OrcaRouter Lite, announced in a press release. The unified inference layer connects over 200 frontier and open source language models with zero markup for bring-your-own-key traffic. Developers pay providers directly, while Continuum generates revenue through features such as caching, governance, and policy management.

OrcaRouter Lite is open source under the MIT license and can be self-hosted on a laptop, virtual private server, or cluster. It uses SQLite by default and does not require Postgres, Redis, or Kubernetes. The hosted OrcaRouter version offers accelerated inference, failover under 50 milliseconds, and adaptive routing that learns from live traffic.

The system provides unified billing across providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, and DeepSeek. User keys remain encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. Continuum is also offering free credits to AI developers and independent builders, accessible at OrcaRouter.ai, with the open source code available on GitHub.

We hope you enjoyed this article

Consider subscribing to one of our newsletters like Daily AI Brief.

Also, consider following us on social media:

AI Brief AI Brief (X)
Free newsletter

Daily AI Brief

Daily report covering major AI developments and industry news, with both top stories and complete market updates

AI Token Webinar

Market report

2025 Generative AI in Professional Services Report

Thomson Reuters

This report by Thomson Reuters explores the integration and impact of generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, within the professional services sector. It highlights the growing adoption of GenAI tools across industries like legal, tax, accounting, and government, and discusses the challenges and opportunities these technologies present. The report also examines professionals' perceptions of GenAI and the need for strategic integration to maximize its value.

Read more

You may also like

Free, six days a week

Daily AI Brief: the AI news that matters, in your inbox.