How to configure OpenRouter (AI translation) in the PrestaShop Translator module (PShowTranslate)?

OpenRouter is a platform (aggregator) that gives access to many AI models from different providers (OpenAI ChatGPT/GPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek and others) through a single API key. It is not a translation engine itself - the actual translation is done by the AI model you choose. This lets you pick a model to fit both quality and budget. Available in the module's Pro license.

Translation cost depends on the chosen model - billing is credit-based (pay-as-you-go) from your OpenRouter account, according to that model's price list (you pay per tokens, i.e. fragments of input and output text). There is no free character allowance like in DeepL.

Differences vs DeepL:
- You pay for actual usage from your OpenRouter account (you top up credits).
- OpenRouter (AI) does not support glossaries - glossaries work only with DeepL.
- You can set your own system prompt (context, vocabulary, tone).

Step 1 - OpenRouter account and API key
1. Create an account at https://openrouter.ai
2. Top up your account with credits (Credits tab).
3. Create an API key at https://openrouter.ai/keys - the key starts with sk-or-.... Copy it.

Step 2 - Select the engine in the module
1. Open the module, Translator tab (module side menu).
2. In the Translator provider panel select OpenRouter (AI).
3. If the option is greyed out with "(Pro only)" - your license is Lite; OpenRouter requires the Pro license.

Step 3 - Configuration
In the OpenRouter translator panel fill in:
- OpenRouter API key - paste the sk-or-... key.
- Model - the OpenRouter model identifier (see recommendations below). Full, up-to-date list and prices: https://openrouter.ai/models
- System prompt (optional) - describe context, vocabulary and tone (e.g. "electronics shop, formal tone, keep brand names and product codes untranslated"). Technical rules (preserving HTML tags, placeholders, JSON output) do not need to be included - they are enforced automatically.

Click Save. The module validates the key and shows the account balance and usage. The status then changes to "Translator is ready to use!".

Step 4 - Translation
Select the source and target language and the scope ("What to translate") and run the translation the same way as with DeepL.

Which model to choose (indicative prices per 1M input/output tokens, as of 07/2026 - check current prices at https://openrouter.ai/models):
- Cheap and good quality (recommended for large volumes, e.g. product pages): openai/gpt-4o-mini - ~$0.15 / ~$0.60. An OpenAI (ChatGPT) model with a very good quality-to-price ratio.
- Pricier, higher quality (tone-sensitive text: terms, information pages, marketing content): openai/gpt-4.1 - ~$2.00 / ~$8.00.
- Alternatively, for the best quality on language nuances: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5 - ~$3.00 / ~$15.00.

Tip: translate product pages with the cheaper model, and image-sensitive text (terms, information pages) with the pricier one. Before running the whole job, translate a few items and assess the quality.

Notes:
- Back up your database and files before translating - the process makes irreversible changes.
- With large amounts of data and errors, increase max_execution_time in the PHP configuration, e.g. to 120.
- When your OpenRouter account credits run out, translation stops with a credit-exhausted message - top up the account.