--- title: "litellm vs gateway" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/berriai-litellm-vs-portkey-ai-gateway" tools: ["berriai-litellm", "portkey-ai-gateway"] --- # litellm vs gateway Neutral, constraint-first comparison with live GitHub stats. | | [litellm](/tools/berriai-litellm.md) | [gateway](/tools/portkey-ai-gateway.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | LiteLLM AI Gateway: Open Source AI Gateway for 100+ LLMs | A blazing fast AI Gateway with integrated guardrails | | Stars | 52,933 | 12,354 | | Forks | 9,554 | 1,185 | | Open issues | 3,724 | 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 | | Categories | Inference & Serving | LLM Frameworks, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [litellm](/tools/berriai-litellm.md) | [gateway](/tools/portkey-ai-gateway.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | 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](/tools/berriai-litellm/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/portkey-ai-gateway/trust.md) | **Typed relationship:** litellm _(integrates with)_ gateway 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. ## Decision facts: litellm - **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. - **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. - **License detail:** 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 ## Decision facts: gateway - **Adopt for:** 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. ## Choose when ### 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. ### 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 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 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. ## 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. --- **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/_