Comparison
litellm vs gateway
Verdict
Pick litellm if litellm is a Rust core with a Python SDK that serves as an AI gateway for over 100 LLM APIs, offering features like cost tracking, guardrails, load balancing, and logging; pick gateway if a high-performance AI Gateway named 'gateway', supporting over 1,600 LLM connections and featuring various guardrail mechanisms for safer utilization.
Markdown twin · litellm alternatives · gateway alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
15views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | litellm | gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Slowing (104d since push) As of Sep 7, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 7, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | Published findings As of Sep 18, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 11, 2026 · 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
- The fastest, lightest AI Gateway
- gateway
- A high-performance AI Gateway connecting to over 1,600 LLMs with guardrails.
Stars
- litellm
- 59k
- gateway
- 13k
Forks
- litellm
- 12k
- gateway
- 1.3k
Open issues
- litellm
- 5.2k
- gateway
- 258
Language
- litellm
- Python
- gateway
- TypeScript
Adopt for
- litellm
- litellm is a Rust core with a Python SDK that serves as an AI gateway for over 100 LLM APIs, offering features like cost tracking, guardrails, load balancing, and logging.
- gateway
- A high-performance AI Gateway named 'gateway', supporting over 1,600 LLM connections and featuring various guardrail mechanisms for safer utilization.
Persona
- litellm
- -
- gateway
- -
Runtime
- litellm
- -
- gateway
- -
License
- litellm
- Other
- gateway
- MIT
Last pushed
- litellm
- Sep 18, 2026
- gateway
- May 25, 2026
Categories
- litellm
- Inference & Serving
- gateway
- Evaluation & Observability, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- litellm
- Very active (96%)
- gateway
- Slowing (36%)
Days since push
- litellm
- 0d
- gateway
- 104d
Open issues (now)
- litellm
- 5.2k
- gateway
- 258
Stars delta
- litellm
- +3.8k (30d)
- gateway
- +252 (30d)
Open issues delta
- litellm
- +578 (30d)
- gateway
- +16 (30d)
OSV dependency advisories
- litellm
- Published findings
- gateway
- No lockfile (source not queried)
Full report
- litellm
- Trust report
- gateway
- Trust report
Typed relationship
Choose litellm if…
- litellm is primarily Python; gateway is TypeScript.
- License: litellm is Other, gateway is MIT.
- Gateway integrates with litellm as both are AI gateway solutions that route requests to various language models, though gateway supports a larger number of models (over 1600) compared to litellm's over 100. The integration could enable extended model support and feature complementarity between the two tools.
- Tags unique to litellm: anthropic, azure-openai, bedrock, litellm.
- Also covers Inference & Serving.
- When you need a fast and lightweight AI gateway that supports over 100 LLM APIs in OpenAI or native format.
When NOT to use litellm
- If you are working in an environment where Rust or Python is not supported or preferred.
- When you need a tool that is not focused on performance and lightweight operations, as litellm is optimized for speed and efficiency.
- If you require a tool that does not support a wide range of LLM APIs and providers, as litellm is designed to work with over 100 APIs.
- When you need a tool that does not offer cost tracking, guardrails, load balancing, and logging, as these are key features of litellm.
Choose gateway if…
- gateway is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python.
- License: gateway is MIT, litellm is Other.
- Pricing: The service is open source and MIT licensed; specific pricing for related services (if any) not detailed in repository..
- Requirements: Developed using TypeScript; no Docker requirement specified for operation or development..
- Gateway integrates with litellm as both are AI gateway solutions that route requests to various language models, though gateway supports a larger number of models (over 1600) compared to litellm's over 100. The integration could enable extended model support and feature complementarity between the two tools.
- Tags unique to gateway: gateway, generative-ai, llmops.
- Also covers Evaluation & Observability, LLM Frameworks.
- Use gateway when you need a versatile platform capable of connecting to more than 1,600 LLM providers.
When NOT to use gateway
- Avoid using gateway if your application only requires connection to a limited number of LLM providers, as its extensive provider support might introduce unnecessary complexity.
- If you don't require sophisticated cost management features such as smart caching or usage analytics provided by the tool, consider simpler alternatives.
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 Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (BerriAI/litellm) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (BerriAI/litellm) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- GitHub stars (Portkey-AI/gateway) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (Portkey-AI/gateway) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (Portkey-AI/gateway) · observed May 25, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: litellm 59k · gateway 13k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between litellm and gateway?
- litellm: The fastest, lightest AI Gateway. gateway: A high-performance AI Gateway connecting to over 1,600 LLMs with guardrails.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose litellm over gateway?
- Choose litellm over gateway when litellm is primarily Python; gateway is TypeScript; License: litellm is Other, gateway is MIT; Gateway integrates with litellm as both are AI gateway solutions that route requests to various language models, though gateway supports a larger number of models (over 1600) compared to litellm's over 100. The integration could enable extended model support and feature complementarity between the two tools; Tags unique to litellm: anthropic, azure-openai, bedrock, litellm; Also covers Inference & Serving; When you need a fast and lightweight AI gateway that supports over 100 LLM APIs in OpenAI or native format.
- When should I choose gateway over litellm?
- Choose gateway over litellm when gateway is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python; License: gateway is MIT, litellm is Other; Pricing: The service is open source and MIT licensed; specific pricing for related services (if any) not detailed in repository.; Requirements: Developed using TypeScript; no Docker requirement specified for operation or development.; Gateway integrates with litellm as both are AI gateway solutions that route requests to various language models, though gateway supports a larger number of models (over 1600) compared to litellm's over 100. The integration could enable extended model support and feature complementarity between the two tools; Tags unique to gateway: gateway, generative-ai, llmops; Also covers Evaluation & Observability, LLM Frameworks; Use gateway when you need a versatile platform capable of connecting to more than 1,600 LLM providers.
- When should I avoid litellm?
- If you are working in an environment where Rust or Python is not supported or preferred. When you need a tool that is not focused on performance and lightweight operations, as litellm is optimized for speed and efficiency. If you require a tool that does not support a wide range of LLM APIs and providers, as litellm is designed to work with over 100 APIs. When you need a tool that does not offer cost tracking, guardrails, load balancing, and logging, as these are key features of litellm.
- When should I avoid gateway?
- Avoid using gateway if your application only requires connection to a limited number of LLM providers, as its extensive provider support might introduce unnecessary complexity. If you don't require sophisticated cost management features such as smart caching or usage analytics provided by the tool, consider simpler alternatives.
- Is litellm or gateway more popular on GitHub?
- litellm has more GitHub stars (59,051 vs 12,920). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are litellm and gateway open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (litellm: Other, gateway: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to litellm or gateway?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at litellm alternatives and gateway alternatives (litellm markdown twin, gateway 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 gateway?
- litellm: Very active. gateway: Slowing. 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 gateway?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: litellm trust report; gateway trust report.