When OpenRouter experiences downtime, users face significant challenges as they lose control over their AI operations, lacking the ability to quickly switch providers or implement custom failover solutions, which can erode user trust. As a solution, the Helicone AI Gateway is introduced as a more efficient, cost-effective, and customizable alternative that allows users to self-host or use a managed service, offering benefits such as faster performance, advanced load balancing, built-in caching, and no vendor lock-in due to its open-source nature. The article provides a detailed migration guide from OpenRouter to Helicone, highlighting the ease of setup, cost savings, and the advantages of direct provider connections without markups, thus granting users greater control over their AI infrastructure and reducing the risks of relying on a single vendor.