Comparison
litellm vs llmgateway
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 llmgateway if lLM Gateway offers a unified API interface to route and manage Large Language Model requests from multiple providers with features such as analytics, API.
Markdown twin · litellm alternatives · llmgateway alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 18, 2026
15views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | litellm | llmgateway |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 11, 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 11, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | Published findings As of Sep 18, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 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
- llmgateway
- Route and manage LLM requests via unified API interface
Stars
- litellm
- 59k
- llmgateway
- 1.6k
Forks
- litellm
- 12k
- llmgateway
- 181
Open issues
- litellm
- 5.2k
- llmgateway
- 77
Language
- litellm
- Python
- llmgateway
- 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.
- llmgateway
- LLM Gateway offers a unified API interface to route and manage Large Language Model requests from multiple providers with features such as analytics, API key management, and rate limiting.
Persona
- litellm
- -
- llmgateway
- -
Runtime
- litellm
- -
- llmgateway
- -
License
- litellm
- Other
- llmgateway
- Dual licensed: Open Source (Core - AGPLv3), Enterprise (Commercial Features - requires Enterprise license)
Last pushed
- litellm
- Sep 18, 2026
- llmgateway
- Sep 11, 2026
Categories
- litellm
- Inference & Serving
- llmgateway
- Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Open issues (now)
- litellm
- 5.2k
- llmgateway
- 77
Stars delta
- litellm
- +3.8k (30d)
- llmgateway
- +106 (30d)
Open issues delta
- litellm
- +578 (30d)
- llmgateway
- +12 (30d)
OSV dependency advisories
- litellm
- Published findings
- llmgateway
- No lockfile (source not queried)
Full report
- litellm
- Trust report
- llmgateway
- Trust report
Typed relationship
Choose litellm if…
- litellm is primarily Python; llmgateway is TypeScript.
- Both serve as gateways for managing requests to various LLM APIs with a unified interface.
- Tags unique to litellm: anthropic, azure-openai, bedrock, langchain.
- 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 llmgateway if…
- llmgateway is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python.
- Available both as a hosted service at llmgateway.io and can be self-hosted using Docker for full control over configuration and data security.
- Requirements: Requires Docker; Self-hosting must avoid direct binding of host directories to /var/lib/postgresql/data to prevent permission setting issues during PostgreSQL initialization..
- Both serve as gateways for managing requests to various LLM APIs with a unified interface.
- Tags unique to llmgateway: api-key-management, observability, rate-limiting.
- Your project requires interfacing with multiple LLM providers for diversified use cases.
When NOT to use llmgateway
- The project only involves using a single LLM provider which does not necessitate the complexity of managing multiple gateways.
- Development requirements do not include fine-grained rate limiting or detailed analytics that LLM Gateway provides.
- Budget constraints and licensing considerations disallow the use of commercial features, given that core functionality is under AGPLv3.
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 18, 2026
- GitHub forks (BerriAI/litellm) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Last push (BerriAI/litellm) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- GitHub stars (theopenco/llmgateway) · observed Sep 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (theopenco/llmgateway) · observed Sep 11, 2026
- Last push (theopenco/llmgateway) · observed Sep 11, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Sep 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: litellm 59k · llmgateway 1.6k (synced Sep 18, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between litellm and llmgateway?
- litellm: The fastest, lightest AI Gateway. llmgateway: Route and manage LLM requests via unified API interface. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose litellm over llmgateway?
- Choose litellm over llmgateway when litellm is primarily Python; llmgateway is TypeScript; Both serve as gateways for managing requests to various LLM APIs with a unified interface; Tags unique to litellm: anthropic, azure-openai, bedrock, langchain; When you need a fast and lightweight AI gateway that supports over 100 LLM APIs in OpenAI or native format.
- When should I choose llmgateway over litellm?
- Choose llmgateway over litellm when llmgateway is primarily TypeScript; litellm is Python; Available both as a hosted service at llmgateway.io and can be self-hosted using Docker for full control over configuration and data security; Requirements: Requires Docker; Self-hosting must avoid direct binding of host directories to /var/lib/postgresql/data to prevent permission setting issues during PostgreSQL initialization.; Both serve as gateways for managing requests to various LLM APIs with a unified interface; Tags unique to llmgateway: api-key-management, observability, rate-limiting; Your project requires interfacing with multiple LLM providers for diversified use cases.
- 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 llmgateway?
- The project only involves using a single LLM provider which does not necessitate the complexity of managing multiple gateways. Development requirements do not include fine-grained rate limiting or detailed analytics that LLM Gateway provides. Budget constraints and licensing considerations disallow the use of commercial features, given that core functionality is under AGPLv3.
- Is litellm or llmgateway more popular on GitHub?
- litellm has more GitHub stars (59,051 vs 1,624). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are litellm and llmgateway open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (litellm: Other, llmgateway: Other).
- Where can I find alternatives to litellm or llmgateway?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at litellm alternatives and llmgateway alternatives (litellm markdown twin, llmgateway 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 llmgateway?
- litellm: Very active. llmgateway: 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 llmgateway?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: litellm trust report; llmgateway trust report.