Comparison
litellm vs surf
Verdict
Pick litellm when litellm is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; pick surf when surf is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python.
Markdown twin · litellm alternatives · surf alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | litellm | surf |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of 3d · github_public_v1 | Very active (6d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 3d · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | Published findings As of 4d · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of today · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- litellm
- Python SDK and Proxy Server for calling multiple LLM APIs
- surf
- Personal AI Notebooks. Organize files & webpages and generate notes from them. Open source, local & open data, open model choice (incl. local).
Stars
- litellm
- 53k
- surf
- 3.5k
Forks
- litellm
- 9.7k
- surf
- 255
Open issues
- litellm
- 3.9k
- surf
- 32
Language
- litellm
- Python
- surf
- TypeScript
Adopt for
- litellm
- litellm is a Python SDK and Proxy Server that facilitates the interaction with over 100 LLM APIs, offering features such as cost tracking, guardrails, load balancing, and logging.
- surf
- -
Persona
- litellm
- -
- surf
- -
Runtime
- litellm
- -
- surf
- -
License
- litellm
- The licensing terms for LiteLLM are provided under a license type categorized as 'Other'; details of the exact license should be referenced directly from its source.
- surf
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- litellm
- Jul 11, 2026
- surf
- Jul 8, 2026
Categories
- litellm
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
- surf
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Days since push
- litellm
- 0d
- surf
- 6d
Open issues (now)
- litellm
- 3.9k
- surf
- 32
OSV dependency advisories
- litellm
- Published findings
- surf
- No lockfile (source not queried)
Full report
- litellm
- Trust report
- surf
- Trust report
Choose litellm if…
- litellm is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript.
- License: litellm is Other, surf is Apache-2.0.
- Pricing: While the core functionality is provided free, specific extended features might require a paid plan..
- Requirements: Requires Docker.
- Tags unique to litellm: ai-gateway, azure-openai, bedrock, openai.
- litellm ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- When you need to integrate multiple LLM (Language Learning Modelling) APIs into your application across different providers like Bedrock, Azure, OpenAI, VertexAI, Cohere, Anthropic, Sagemaker, Hugging
When NOT to use litellm
- If your project only requires interaction with a single LLM API and basic functionalities, litellm may be overkill.
Choose surf if…
- surf is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python.
- License: surf is Apache-2.0, litellm is Other.
- Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base.
When NOT to use surf
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
- LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (BerriAI/litellm) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (BerriAI/litellm) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (BerriAI/litellm) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (deta/surf) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub forks (deta/surf) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Last push (deta/surf) · observed Jul 8, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: litellm 53k · surf 3.5k (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between litellm and surf?
- litellm: Python SDK and Proxy Server for calling multiple LLM APIs. surf: Personal AI Notebooks. Organize files & webpages and generate notes from them. Open source, local & open data, open model choice (incl. local).. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose litellm over surf?
- Choose litellm over surf when litellm is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; License: litellm is Other, surf is Apache-2.0; Pricing: While the core functionality is provided free, specific extended features might require a paid plan.; Requirements: Requires Docker; Tags unique to litellm: ai-gateway, azure-openai, bedrock, openai; litellm ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need to integrate multiple LLM (Language Learning Modelling) APIs into your application across different providers like Bedrock, Azure, OpenAI, VertexAI, Cohere, Anthropic, Sagemaker, Hugging.
- When should I choose surf over litellm?
- Choose surf over litellm when surf is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python; License: surf is Apache-2.0, litellm is Other; Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base.
- When should I avoid litellm?
- If your project only requires interaction with a single LLM API and basic functionalities, litellm may be overkill.
- When should I avoid surf?
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
- Is litellm or surf more popular on GitHub?
- litellm has more GitHub stars (53,271 vs 3,476). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are litellm and surf open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (litellm: Other, surf: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to litellm or surf?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at litellm alternatives and surf alternatives (litellm markdown twin, surf markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, litellm or surf?
- litellm: Very active. surf: 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 litellm and surf?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: litellm trust report; surf trust report.