--- title: "9router vs zero-plugins" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/decolua-9router-vs-officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins" tools: ["decolua-9router", "officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins"] --- # 9router vs zero-plugins *GraphCanon updated Aug 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick 9router if 9router is a gateway service that connects multiple coding AI agents with free providers, providing token savings through RTK and offering unlimited free access to certain AI models; pick zero-plugins if zero-plugins is an agent plugin designed to enhance capabilities through integration with thousands of external services by providing CLI access and specialized hooks for various AI. [9router](https://9router.com) reports 26k GitHub stars, 4.6k forks, and 1.7k open issues, last pushed Aug 14, 2026. [zero-plugins](https://github.com/officialzeroxyz/zero-plugins) has 18 stars, 1 forks, and 1 open issues, last pushed Aug 5, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [9router's repository](https://github.com/decolua/9router) and [zero-plugins's repository](https://github.com/officialzeroxyz/zero-plugins). | | [9router](/tools/decolua-9router.md) | [zero-plugins](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Unlimited FREE AI coding with auto-fallback and token savings | Agent plugin for external capabilities invocation | | Stars | 25,841 | 18 | | Forks | 4,635 | 1 | | Open issues | 1,700 | 1 | | Language | JavaScript | Shell | | Adopt for | 9router is a gateway service that connects multiple coding AI agents with free providers, providing token savings through RTK and offering unlimited free access to certain AI models. | Zero-plugins is an agent plugin designed to enhance capabilities through integration with thousands of external services by providing CLI access and specialized hooks for various AI agents. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | - | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | AI Agents | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [9router](/tools/decolua-9router.md) | [zero-plugins](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 5d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 1.7k | 1 | | Stars delta | +3.1k (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +479 (30d) | Unknown | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/decolua-9router/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Cursor**: [9router](/tools/decolua-9router.md) - Works with Cursor; [zero-plugins](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins.md) - Works with Cursor - **Node.js**: [9router](/tools/decolua-9router.md) - Node.js runtime; [zero-plugins](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins.md) - Node.js runtime ## Decision facts: 9router - **Pricing:** unknown - Offers a 'TOKEN SAVER' tier with built-in RTK for FREE, which saves up to 40% on tokens. Also supports connections to completely FREE providers like Kiro AI and OpenCode Free without any sign-up or on - **Adopt for:** 9router is a gateway service that connects multiple coding AI agents with free providers, providing token savings through RTK and offering unlimited free access to certain AI models. ## Decision facts: zero-plugins - **Adopt for:** Zero-plugins is an agent plugin designed to enhance capabilities through integration with thousands of external services by providing CLI access and specialized hooks for various AI agents. ## Choose when ### Choose 9router if… - 9router is primarily JavaScript; zero-plugins is Shell. - Pricing: Offers a 'TOKEN SAVER' tier with built-in RTK for FREE, which saves up to 40% on tokens. Also supports connections to completely FREE providers like Kiro AI and OpenCode Free without any sign-up or on. - Tags unique to 9router: ai-agents, free-ai, openai-proxy, token-saver. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - 9router ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Use when you need to connect to various coding AI agents like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline, Copilot, and others via a unified gateway. ### Choose zero-plugins if… - zero-plugins is primarily Shell; 9router is JavaScript. - Tags unique to zero-plugins: agent plugin, cli, external service invoker, mcp connector. - When the user needs seamless invocation of numerous third-party services right from their AI agent's interface, leveraging Zero will expedite this process. ## When NOT to use 9router - Not suitable if you specifically need advanced or high-priority services from premium providers like Claude Code Pro/Max or Codex Plus/Pro, which offer dedicated support and higher limits. - Avoid using this tool if your coding requirements exceed the capabilities of free models connected via 9router's gateway service. ## When NOT to use zero-plugins - Avoid if strict adherence to open-sourced projects or reliance on known licenses is critical, as Zero's license status is unknown. - If the primary objective is not related to expanding an agent's reach into external service capabilities but rather enhancing existing functionalities without integration overhead. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between 9router and zero-plugins? 9router: Unlimited FREE AI coding with auto-fallback and token savings. zero-plugins: Agent plugin for external capabilities invocation. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose 9router over zero-plugins? Choose 9router over zero-plugins when 9router is primarily JavaScript; zero-plugins is Shell; Pricing: Offers a 'TOKEN SAVER' tier with built-in RTK for FREE, which saves up to 40% on tokens. Also supports connections to completely FREE providers like Kiro AI and OpenCode Free without any sign-up or on; Tags unique to 9router: ai-agents, free-ai, openai-proxy, token-saver; Also covers Inference & Serving; 9router ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Use when you need to connect to various coding AI agents like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline, Copilot, and others via a unified gateway. ### When should I choose zero-plugins over 9router? Choose zero-plugins over 9router when zero-plugins is primarily Shell; 9router is JavaScript; Tags unique to zero-plugins: agent plugin, cli, external service invoker, mcp connector; When the user needs seamless invocation of numerous third-party services right from their AI agent's interface, leveraging Zero will expedite this process. ### When should I avoid 9router? Not suitable if you specifically need advanced or high-priority services from premium providers like Claude Code Pro/Max or Codex Plus/Pro, which offer dedicated support and higher limits. Avoid using this tool if your coding requirements exceed the capabilities of free models connected via 9router's gateway service. ### When should I avoid zero-plugins? Avoid if strict adherence to open-sourced projects or reliance on known licenses is critical, as Zero's license status is unknown. If the primary objective is not related to expanding an agent's reach into external service capabilities but rather enhancing existing functionalities without integration overhead. ### Is 9router or zero-plugins more popular on GitHub? 9router has more GitHub stars (25,841 vs 18). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are 9router and zero-plugins open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub. ### Where can I find alternatives to 9router or zero-plugins? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [9router alternatives](/tools/decolua-9router/alternatives) and [zero-plugins alternatives](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/alternatives) ([9router markdown twin](/tools/decolua-9router/alternatives.md), [zero-plugins markdown twin](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/decolua-9router-vs-officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, 9router or zero-plugins? 9router: Very active. zero-plugins: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for 9router and zero-plugins? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [9router trust report](/tools/decolua-9router/trust); [zero-plugins trust report](/tools/officialzeroxyz-zero-plugins/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=decolua-9router`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=decolua-9router) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_