--- title: "gateway vs ell" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/adaline-gateway-vs-madcowd-ell" tools: ["adaline-gateway", "madcowd-ell"] --- # gateway vs ell *GraphCanon updated Aug 21, 2026* ## Verdict Pick gateway if unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs with production-grade capabilities in TypeScript; pick ell if ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool. [gateway](https://www.adaline.ai/docs) reports 605 GitHub stars, 26 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Jul 29, 2026. [ell](http://docs.ell.so/) has 5.9k stars, 343 forks, and 186 open issues, last pushed Jun 5, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [gateway's repository](https://github.com/adaline/gateway) and [ell's repository](https://github.com/MadcowD/ell). | | [gateway](/tools/adaline-gateway.md) | [ell](/tools/madcowd-ell.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs | A language model programming library | | Stars | 605 | 5,869 | | Forks | 26 | 343 | | Open issues | 2 | 186 | | Language | TypeScript | Python | | Adopt for | Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs with production-grade capabilities in TypeScript. | ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT - Permissive free software license | | Categories | Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [gateway](/tools/adaline-gateway.md) | [ell](/tools/madcowd-ell.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 22d | 417d | | Open issues (now) | 2 | 186 | | Stars delta | +4 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +2 (30d) | Unknown | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/adaline-gateway/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/madcowd-ell/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: gateway - **Adopt for:** Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs with production-grade capabilities in TypeScript. - **License detail:** MIT ## Decision facts: ell - **Pricing:** freemium - Free to use under MIT License, with no premium plans mentioned. - **Adopt for:** ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool. - **License detail:** MIT - Permissive free software license ## Choose when ### Choose gateway if… - gateway is primarily TypeScript; ell is Python. - Tags unique to gateway: ai-agents, anthropic, language-model, llm. - Also covers Developer Tools. - When you require access to more than 200 different LLMs through a unified interface, ensuring seamless integration and management in your development projects. ### Choose ell if… - ell is primarily Python; gateway is TypeScript. - Pricing: Free to use under MIT License, with no premium plans mentioned.. - Tags unique to ell: ai. - When you require a dedicated Python framework for developing custom language models and fine-tuning them with specific prompts for your application. ## When NOT to use gateway - When your project only involves a few specific LLMs that don't require a comprehensive, unified SDK; in this case using direct SDKs from those LLM providers could simplify your setup. - If you are working primarily in languages other than TypeScript and need an SDK that supports those environments natively for better performance or community support. ## When NOT to use ell - If you prefer JavaScript or other languages over Python, consider alternative frameworks that support the language of your choice. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between gateway and ell? gateway: Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs. ell: A language model programming library. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose gateway over ell? Choose gateway over ell when gateway is primarily TypeScript; ell is Python; Tags unique to gateway: ai-agents, anthropic, language-model, llm; Also covers Developer Tools; When you require access to more than 200 different LLMs through a unified interface, ensuring seamless integration and management in your development projects. ### When should I choose ell over gateway? Choose ell over gateway when ell is primarily Python; gateway is TypeScript; Pricing: Free to use under MIT License, with no premium plans mentioned.; Tags unique to ell: ai; When you require a dedicated Python framework for developing custom language models and fine-tuning them with specific prompts for your application. ### When should I avoid gateway? When your project only involves a few specific LLMs that don't require a comprehensive, unified SDK; in this case using direct SDKs from those LLM providers could simplify your setup. If you are working primarily in languages other than TypeScript and need an SDK that supports those environments natively for better performance or community support. ### When should I avoid ell? If you prefer JavaScript or other languages over Python, consider alternative frameworks that support the language of your choice. ### Is gateway or ell more popular on GitHub? ell has more GitHub stars (5,869 vs 605). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are gateway and ell open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (gateway: MIT, ell: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to gateway or ell? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [gateway alternatives](/tools/adaline-gateway/alternatives) and [ell alternatives](/tools/madcowd-ell/alternatives) ([gateway markdown twin](/tools/adaline-gateway/alternatives.md), [ell markdown twin](/tools/madcowd-ell/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/adaline-gateway-vs-madcowd-ell.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, gateway or ell? gateway: Active. ell: Dormant. 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 gateway and ell? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [gateway trust report](/tools/adaline-gateway/trust); [ell trust report](/tools/madcowd-ell/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=adaline-gateway`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=adaline-gateway) - 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/_