# LLM fallback cost calculator — Route Lab

Canonical: https://route.agiscorecard.com/guide.html
Reviewed: 2026-09-19
Author: AGI Scorecard team
Version: 1.1.0

Route Lab compares short supplier sequences using entered cost, success and latency assumptions. It checks the worst-case total against your budget before sorting feasible options by expected cost. It is an offline planning tool; no model or payment is called.

## Method

Enumerate distinct allowed candidates up to three attempts. Reject sequences over total budget or latency, then compare expected cost among those meeting the supplied success target.

## Workflow

1. Estimate each candidate from the same task cohort and include every attempt cost.
2. Set an exact worst-case budget, latency bound and quality target.
3. Review assumptions, export the plan, then validate in your own shadow workload.

## Common mistake

Two suppliers can fail on the same tasks. Multiplying independent failure rates can overstate reliability when they share models, infrastructure or task weaknesses.

## Worked scenarios

### Cheap first, reliable second

Compare expected cost with the maximum you could spend.
Fictional inputs: https://route.agiscorecard.com/examples/fallback.json
Run: https://route.agiscorecard.com/?scenario=fallback#workbench
- Feasible sequences: 3
- Sequences checked: 4
- Currency: USD

### Budget is too tight

Find out when none of the sequences meets every condition.
Fictional inputs: https://route.agiscorecard.com/examples/tight.json
Run: https://route.agiscorecard.com/?scenario=tight#workbench
- Feasible sequences: 0
- Sequences checked: 4
- Currency: USD

### The fallback takes too long

A low expected cost cannot bypass a latency constraint.
Fictional inputs: https://route.agiscorecard.com/examples/slow.json
Run: https://route.agiscorecard.com/?scenario=slow#workbench
- Feasible sequences: 0
- Sequences checked: 4
- Currency: USD

## Questions

### Should an agent budget use expected cost or worst-case cost?

Use worst-case cost for a hard spending limit. Expected cost is useful for comparison but may hide an expensive fallback. Success estimates also depend on how failures correlate across providers.

### Is Route Lab free, and do I need a wallet?

All current functions are free beta. No account, wallet connection, subscription or model API key is needed. Offline planning only. No live requests, model judge, payment, dynamic bandit or production routing.

### Can I use my own records and keep them private?

Yes. Enter records, import JSON or paste CSV into record groups. Inputs and comparison snapshots stay in this browser tab. Share-example links contain only a public scenario name. Review downloaded reports before sharing your records.

## Alternatives and official sources

- [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/routing/provider-selection): Provider routing includes price, throughput, latency, fallback and data-policy controls.
- [LiteLLM](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/routing): Gateway routing, cooldowns, retries, load balancing and fallback strategies.

Existing gateways execute production traffic and have operational depth. This planner adds an inspectable scenario calculation, but has no gateway integration or calibrated success estimates.

## Limits

Offline planning only. No live requests, model judge, payment, dynamic bandit or production routing.
This is an offline scenario planner, not an execution or payment router. Expected figures assume independent failures, fixed all-in attempt costs and early stop after success.

Correlated failures invalidate the success estimates. Every allowed sequence uses distinct candidates; budget checks use exact worst-case total cost, not expected cost. Latency is a supplied bound, not an observed guarantee.

Only the first 20 feasible sequences are shown; all sequences and rejection reasons are included in the JSON report.

## Input and output

Structural schema: https://route.agiscorecard.com/input.schema.json
The engine additionally validates ranges, dates, amount formats, uniqueness and cross-field rules.
Input JSON and CSV paste are processed locally. No model, account or wallet is needed.
Reports can be downloaded as JSON or Markdown and printed locally. Public scenario links never include user records.

## Price and license

Current functions are free beta. No paid plan or update SLA is offered.
Tool bundle license: https://route.agiscorecard.com/LICENSE.txt
Privacy: https://route.agiscorecard.com/privacy.html