cheapest (default)
Cheapest
The lowest price among providers that are working now.
[ dispatch ]
Dispatch, our real-time routing engine. Every provider competes, the cheapest wins.
Every request goes to the cheapest provider for that model. You pay below the source price. No platform fees, no top-up fees.
// what it does
Every request is a live competition.
01 / Quote
Every provider quotes
Each provider that serves the model you ask for quotes on your request. A quote that breaks one of your rules drops out.
02 / Win
The best quote serves it
The best quote for your mode wins. If that provider fails, times out or turns the request down, the next quote takes it before any token reaches you.
03 / Earn
The margin is network revenue
The margin on every request is network revenue. Half goes to USDF holders, every hour.
// modes
Four modes. Auto picks for you.
Coming
fastest
Fastest
The highest measured output speed. Within 1 token a second, the cheaper one wins.
smartest
Smartest
The route most faithful to the model: its developer's own API first, then full-precision weights, then the most reliable.
auto
Auto
Auto picks the best model for every prompt, at the lowest price.
Send mode in the request, or add it to the model name after a colon: deepseek-v3.. The word counts as a mode only when it is the whole text after the last colon.
// rules
Rules on every request.
Coming
Add rules to any request. A provider that breaks a rule does not compete.
| Rule | What it does |
|---|---|
price_ | The most the whole request may cost, in USD. If it cannot be met, the request is refused before anything is charged. |
max_ | The longest wait for the first token. A stream that has not started in time moves to the next provider. |
min_ | The slowest output speed you accept, in tokens a second. Slower providers go to the back. |
region | Only providers that process in this region (us, eu). |
zero_ | true: only providers that keep nothing of your request. |
no_ | true: only providers that never train on requests. |
providers | Allow and deny lists of providers. |
models | Allow and deny lists of models, with * for any text. For auto, the models it may choose from. |
cost_ | For auto: economy, balanced or premium. |
Coming The price is locked. Before the first token, the request's worst case is held: that is its price cap, and you never pay more. You pay only for the tokens actually used.
// receipt
A receipt on every answer.
Coming
Every answer carries a receipt in receipt., with the same facts in its headers.
| Field | What it says |
|---|---|
model | The model that answered. |
price_ | The most the request could have cost. Held before the first token. |
charge | What it cost: only the tokens actually used. |
saving | What you saved against the source price, in USD and percent. |
providers_ | How many providers quoted on the request. |
provider | Foundry network. |
// privacy
Zero retention by default.
Nothing kept
By default a request goes only to providers whose published policy keeps no request data. Only routes that promise it can win.
Your rules, on top
Add no_ to rule out any provider that trains on requests, or region to keep processing in the US or the EU.
// why dispatch
Why it beats buying direct and other routers.
| Buying direct | Other routers | Dispatch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | One provider's list price | The source price, plus a fee to add funds | Below the source price. No platform fees, no top-up fees. |
| Who serves it | One provider, whatever its price today | A provider order you set or a default list | Every provider that serves the model quotes, and the best quote wins |
| If a provider fails | The error is yours to handle | Fallbacks, often set up by you | The next quote takes it before any token reaches you |
| Your data | Whatever that provider keeps | Zero retention as an opt-in | Zero retention by default |
| What it can cost | Known after the bill | A ceiling you can set | The worst case is held before the first token. You never pay more. |
| Proof | A monthly invoice | A usage log | A receipt on every answer |
| Your balance | Credit with one provider | Credit on one platform | USDF: redeemable 1:1, never expires, earns every hour |
The first two columns describe the usual terms of each way to buy, not any one product.
Compare Foundry with another router, row by row, or read the Benchmarks.
// example
Try it with one request.
Coming
Auto picks the model, the request never costs more than 2 cents, and only zero-retention providers can serve it.
Auto with rules
curl https://api.usdf.fi/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $USDF_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "auto",
"messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "Summarise this contract." }],
"rules": { "price_cap": 0.02, "zero_retention": true, "cost_tier": "balanced" }
}'