RelayPlane vs Omniroute: Cost Intelligence vs Fallback Routing
Omniroute keeps requests alive with auto-fallback. RelayPlane routes by task complexity and tracks the cost of every request. If you want to reduce LLM spend, not just avoid downtime, RelayPlane is the cost-intelligent alternative.
TL;DR
Choose RelayPlane when you want:
- Per-request cost tracking in local SQLite
- Complexity routing to automatically use cheaper models for simple tasks
- Budget caps that stop overspend before it happens
- A lightweight proxy without a 130 MB bundled frontend
Choose Omniroute when you need:
- Auto-fallback to keep requests alive when a model is unavailable
- A built-in web UI for managing fallback chains and model order
- Zero-downtime routing across free and cheap model tiers
Feature Comparison
| Feature | RelayPlane | Omniroute |
|---|---|---|
| Product focus RelayPlane routes requests based on task complexity to minimize cost while maintaining quality. Omniroute focuses on keeping requests alive by falling back to available models when one fails. | Cost intelligence + complexity routing | Auto-fallback to free/cheap models |
| Install method RelayPlane installs as a lightweight proxy in seconds. Omniroute ships a 130 MB package that includes a full Next.js app, Monaco editor, and React dashboard bundled with the CLI. | npm install -g @relayplane/proxy | npm install -g omniroute (130 MB) |
| Per-request cost tracking RelayPlane logs the exact token count and dollar cost of every request to local SQLite. Omniroute has no per-request cost tracking, it routes for availability rather than cost visibility. | SQLite per-request log (on-device) | |
| Complexity-based routing RelayPlane automatically routes simple tasks to cheap models like Haiku and complex tasks to Opus. Omniroute routes based on model availability and fallback order, not task complexity. | ||
| Works with Claude Code and Cursor Both tools work as OpenAI-compatible proxies and can be pointed at from Claude Code and Cursor via a baseURL swap. | ||
| Budget caps and spend controls RelayPlane enforces configurable budget caps and stops requests before you overspend. Omniroute has no spend controls, it routes for uptime rather than cost governance. | ||
| Local SQLite storage RelayPlane stores all request logs and cost data in local SQLite with no cloud dependency. Omniroute uses SQLite for configuration storage but does not track request costs. | Partial (config only) | |
| No cloud dependency RelayPlane works entirely on-device for routing and cost tracking. Omniroute routes to cloud-hosted models and requires connectivity to the model providers it falls back through. | Partial | |
| Open source Both tools are MIT licensed and open source. | MIT | MIT |
| Pricing Both tools are free and open source. | Free (MIT) | Free (MIT) |
| Ollama and local model support Both tools support routing to Ollama and local models as fallback targets. | ||
| Cost visibility dashboard RelayPlane provides a cost dashboard showing per-request spending, model distribution, and token usage. Omniroute includes a web UI for configuration and fallback order, not cost analysis. | ||
| No signup required Both tools run locally with no account required. | ||
| Package size Omniroute ships a bundled Next.js admin UI, Monaco code editor, and React dashboard inside the npm package. RelayPlane is a focused proxy binary without bundled frontend assets. | Lightweight proxy binary | 130 MB (includes full Next.js app) |
Why Developers Choose RelayPlane Over Omniroute
Cost intelligence, not just availability routing
Omniroute keeps your requests alive by falling back to available models when one fails or hits rate limits. That solves a real problem. RelayPlane solves a different one: it routes every request to the cheapest model that can handle the task. When Claude Code fires 50 requests, RelayPlane routes the simple ones to Haiku and the complex ones to Opus automatically. Omniroute never asks whether the model is more expensive than needed, only whether it is available.
Per-request cost tracking in local SQLite
RelayPlane logs the exact token count and dollar cost of every single LLM request to local SQLite. You can query which prompt cost $0.03 and which cost $2.40, see your total spend by model or session, and export the data however you need. Omniroute has no per-request cost tracking. It records what model handled a request for fallback logic, not what it cost.
Budget caps that actually stop overspend
RelayPlane enforces configurable budget caps per session or per day. When a Claude Code run is about to blow the cap, RelayPlane blocks the request rather than silently continuing. Omniroute has no spend controls. It will keep routing requests to free and cheap models but has no mechanism to halt execution when a budget threshold is reached.
Lightweight by design
RelayPlane is a focused proxy binary. Omniroute ships a 130 MB npm package that includes a full Next.js application, the Monaco code editor, and a React dashboard bundled alongside the routing logic. For developers who want a lean tool in their request path, the size difference matters. Both are MIT licensed and locally hosted, but RelayPlane does not bundle a frontend framework to proxy requests.
Omniroute Solves Availability. RelayPlane Solves Cost.
Omniroute is a capable fallback router with around 4,300 weekly downloads and a growing community. If your primary concern is keeping requests alive when a model rate-limits or goes down, it handles that well. The built-in web UI makes it easy to configure fallback chains across free and paid model tiers.
But if you want to know what every request costs, route simple tasks to cheaper models automatically, or enforce a daily spend cap inside Claude Code or Cursor, Omniroute does not address those needs. RelayPlane sits in the same place in your request path but focuses on cost intelligence: per-request SQLite logging, complexity-based model selection, and budget controls that stop overspend before it happens.
Get Running in 30 Seconds
No account. No 130 MB download. No bundled Next.js app. Just npm: