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Comparison

litellm vs gateway

litellm (LiteLLM AI Gateway: Open Source AI Gateway for 100+ LLMs) vs gateway (A blazing fast AI Gateway with integrated guardrails) - live GitHub stats and typed graph relationships, not marketing.

Markdown twin · litellm alternatives · gateway alternatives

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gateway

Portkey-AI/gateway

★ 12kpushed May 25, 2026

Tagline

litellm: LiteLLM AI Gateway: Open Source AI Gateway for 100+ LLMs
gateway: A blazing fast AI Gateway with integrated guardrails

Stars

litellm: 53k
gateway: 12k

Forks

litellm: 9.6k
gateway: 1.2k

Open issues

litellm: 3.7k
gateway: 217

Language

litellm: Python
gateway: TypeScript

Adopt for

litellm: LiteLLM provides an open-source AI gateway for over 100 LLMs, integrating them via OpenAI format and offering features like cost tracking, guardrails, load balancing, and logging.
gateway: Portkey-AI/gateway is an open-source AI Gateway that provides fast, secure routing to over 1600 AI models with built-in guardrails for enhanced security and reliability.

Persona

litellm: -
gateway: -

Runtime

litellm: -
gateway: -

License

litellm: The specific license details are categorized as 'Other', indicating it's neither a standard open-source license like MIT, Apache 2.0 nor GPL. It’s crucial to check the precise licensing terms directly
gateway: MIT

Last pushed

litellm: Jul 8, 2026
gateway: May 25, 2026

Categories

litellm: Inference & Serving
gateway: LLM Frameworks, Developer Tools

Trust and health

Maintenance

litellm: Very active (96%)
gateway: Steady (60%)

Days since push

litellm: 0d
gateway: 43d

Open issues (now)

litellm: 3.7k
gateway: 217

Security scan

litellm: 2 low (2 low)
gateway: No MCP manifest

Full report

litellm: Trust report
gateway: Trust report

Typed relationship

litellm integrates gatewayGateway 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.

Trust and health
	litellm	gateway
Tagline	LiteLLM AI Gateway: Open Source AI Gateway for 100+ LLMs	A blazing fast AI Gateway with integrated guardrails
Stars	53k	12k
Forks	9.6k	1.2k
Open issues	3.7k	217
Language	Python	TypeScript
Adopt for	LiteLLM provides an open-source AI gateway for over 100 LLMs, integrating them via OpenAI format and offering features like cost tracking, guardrails, load balancing, and logging.	Portkey-AI/gateway is an open-source AI Gateway that provides fast, secure routing to over 1600 AI models with built-in guardrails for enhanced security and reliability.
Persona	-	-
Runtime	-	-
License	The specific license details are categorized as 'Other', indicating it's neither a standard open-source license like MIT, Apache 2.0 nor GPL. It’s crucial to check the precise licensing terms directly	MIT
Last pushed	Jul 8, 2026	May 25, 2026
Categories	Inference & Serving	LLM Frameworks, Developer Tools
Maintenance	Very active (96%)	Steady (60%)
Days since push	0d	43d
Open issues (now)	3.7k	217
Security scan	2 low (2 low)	No MCP manifest
Full report	Trust report	Trust report
Typed relationship	litellm integrates gatewayGateway 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.

Choose litellm if…

litellm is primarily Python; gateway is TypeScript.
License: litellm is Other, gateway is MIT.
Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; - Requires Python for installation and operation.; - Supports deployment as a standalone application or integrated into larger applications via library calls..
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: llmops, rust, bedrock, anthropic.
Also covers Inference & Serving.
- You require a unified interface to integrate multiple LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Bedrock, Azure, etc.) using the OpenAI format.

When NOT to use litellm

- If your application only needs to integrate with a single LLM provider that does not require the OpenAI standard interface.
- Your project prioritizes proprietary or closed-source solutions; LiteLLM is open source and may lack some commercial support or enterprise-grade add-ons available in paid alternatives.

GitHub Details

Choose gateway if…

gateway is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python.
License: gateway is MIT, litellm is Other.
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, llm, generative-ai.
Also covers LLM Frameworks, Developer Tools.
When you need rapid integration of any language model in your application within a matter of minutes.

When NOT to use gateway

Avoid if your requirements are better served by lightweight frameworks that do not require advanced guardrails or extensive integration with multiple language models.
If you specifically seek a service without integrated security features, opting for a more minimalist framework may be preferable.
When needing to deploy in environments where TypeScript is less preferred compared to other languages like Python due to maintenance or team familiarity reasons.

GitHub Details

Explore

litellm trust report →gateway trust report →Inference & Serving category →LLM Frameworks category →Developer Tools category →All comparisons Stack workflows Trending tools

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Common questions

What is the difference between litellm and gateway?: litellm: LiteLLM AI Gateway: Open Source AI Gateway for 100+ LLMs. gateway: A blazing fast AI Gateway with integrated 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; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; - Requires Python for installation and operation.; - Supports deployment as a standalone application or integrated into larger applications via library calls.; 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: llmops, rust, bedrock, anthropic; Also covers Inference & Serving; - You require a unified interface to integrate multiple LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Bedrock, Azure, etc.) using the OpenAI 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; 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, llm, generative-ai; Also covers LLM Frameworks, Developer Tools; When you need rapid integration of any language model in your application within a matter of minutes.
When should I avoid litellm?: - If your application only needs to integrate with a single LLM provider that does not require the OpenAI standard interface. - Your project prioritizes proprietary or closed-source solutions; LiteLLM is open source and may lack some commercial support or enterprise-grade add-ons available in paid alternatives.
When should I avoid gateway?: Avoid if your requirements are better served by lightweight frameworks that do not require advanced guardrails or extensive integration with multiple language models. If you specifically seek a service without integrated security features, opting for a more minimalist framework may be preferable. When needing to deploy in environments where TypeScript is less preferred compared to other languages like Python due to maintenance or team familiarity reasons.
Is litellm or gateway more popular on GitHub?: litellm has more GitHub stars (52,933 vs 12,354). 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 /tools/berriai-litellm/alternatives and /tools/portkey-ai-gateway/alternatives (/tools/berriai-litellm/alternatives.md, /tools/portkey-ai-gateway/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 /compare/berriai-litellm-vs-portkey-ai-gateway.md 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: Steady. 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: /tools/berriai-litellm/trust; gateway: /tools/portkey-ai-gateway/trust.