Switchboard is an inference exchange designed to make AI access more cost-effective through automatic model selection. Its OpenAI-compatible endpoint connects users to a catalogue of 37 models from providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Mistral, Qwen, DeepSeek, and others. Rather than requiring users to choose a model, Switchboard evaluates each request and auctions it among capable options. The selected model is intended to balance price, latency, and reliability, with the lowest effective bid winning.

Users can interact through Switchboard’s chat, use its browser agent, or connect existing applications through the API by pointing an OpenAI SDK to its base URL. The service supports streamed responses and image-related capabilities, and attaches a receipt to each answer showing the model used, request cost, competing offers, and a comparison with GPT-4o pricing.

Switchboard also provides a calculator to estimate potential savings against its live model catalogue. Its $SWCH token, on Solana, is used for request fees, which the site says are allocated among token burning, stakers, and the ecosystem.