--- title: "litellm vs chatllm.cpp" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/berriai-litellm-vs-foldl-chatllm-cpp" tools: ["berriai-litellm", "foldl-chatllm-cpp"] --- # litellm vs chatllm.cpp *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick litellm when litellm is primarily Python; chatllm.cpp is C++; pick chatllm.cpp when chatllm.cpp is primarily C++; litellm is Python. [litellm](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/) reports 53k GitHub stars, 9.7k forks, and 3.9k open issues, last pushed Jul 11, 2026. [chatllm.cpp](https://github.com/foldl/chatllm.cpp) has 908 stars, 71 forks, and 11 open issues, last pushed Jul 7, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [litellm's repository](https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm) and [chatllm.cpp's repository](https://github.com/foldl/chatllm.cpp). | | [litellm](/tools/berriai-litellm.md) | [chatllm.cpp](/tools/foldl-chatllm-cpp.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Python SDK and Proxy Server for calling multiple LLM APIs | Pure C++ implementation of several models for real-time chatting on your computer (CPU & GPU) | | Stars | 53,271 | 908 | | Forks | 9,671 | 71 | | Open issues | 3,915 | 11 | | Language | Python | C++ | | Adopt for | 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. | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | 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. | MIT | | Categories | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [litellm](/tools/berriai-litellm.md) | [chatllm.cpp](/tools/foldl-chatllm-cpp.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 4d | | Open issues (now) | 3.9k | 11 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Security scan | 2 low (2 low) | No lockfile | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/berriai-litellm/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/foldl-chatllm-cpp/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: litellm - **Pricing:** freemium - While the core functionality is provided free, specific extended features might require a paid plan. - **Requirements:** Requires Docker - **Adopt for:** 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. - **License detail:** 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. ## Choose when ### Choose litellm if… - litellm is primarily Python; chatllm.cpp is C++. - License: litellm is Other, chatllm.cpp is MIT. - 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 ### Choose chatllm.cpp if… - chatllm.cpp is primarily C++; litellm is Python. - License: chatllm.cpp is MIT, litellm is Other. - Tags unique to chatllm.cpp: c++, llm-inference. ## When NOT to use litellm - If your project only requires interaction with a single LLM API and basic functionalities, litellm may be overkill. ## When NOT to use chatllm.cpp - 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. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between litellm and chatllm.cpp? litellm: Python SDK and Proxy Server for calling multiple LLM APIs. chatllm.cpp: Pure C++ implementation of several models for real-time chatting on your computer (CPU & GPU). See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose litellm over chatllm.cpp? Choose litellm over chatllm.cpp when litellm is primarily Python; chatllm.cpp is C++; License: litellm is Other, chatllm.cpp is MIT; 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 chatllm.cpp over litellm? Choose chatllm.cpp over litellm when chatllm.cpp is primarily C++; litellm is Python; License: chatllm.cpp is MIT, litellm is Other; Tags unique to chatllm.cpp: c++, llm-inference. ### 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 chatllm.cpp? 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 chatllm.cpp more popular on GitHub? litellm has more GitHub stars (53,271 vs 908). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are litellm and chatllm.cpp open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (litellm: Other, chatllm.cpp: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to litellm or chatllm.cpp? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [litellm alternatives](/tools/berriai-litellm/alternatives) and [chatllm.cpp alternatives](/tools/foldl-chatllm-cpp/alternatives) ([litellm markdown twin](/tools/berriai-litellm/alternatives.md), [chatllm.cpp markdown twin](/tools/foldl-chatllm-cpp/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/berriai-litellm-vs-foldl-chatllm-cpp.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, litellm or chatllm.cpp? litellm: Very active. chatllm.cpp: 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 chatllm.cpp? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [litellm trust report](/tools/berriai-litellm/trust); [chatllm.cpp trust report](/tools/foldl-chatllm-cpp/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=berriai-litellm`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=berriai-litellm) - 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/_