--- title: "litellm vs xllm" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/berriai-litellm-vs-xllm-ai-xllm" tools: ["berriai-litellm", "xllm-ai-xllm"] --- # litellm vs xllm *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick litellm when litellm is primarily Python; xllm is C++; pick xllm when xllm 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. [xllm](https://xllm-ai.com/) has 1.5k stars, 256 forks, and 179 open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [litellm's repository](https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm) and [xllm's repository](https://github.com/xLLM-AI/xllm). | | [litellm](/tools/berriai-litellm.md) | [xllm](/tools/xllm-ai-xllm.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Python SDK and Proxy Server for calling multiple LLM APIs | A high-performance inference engine for LLM, VLM, DiT and REC models, optimized for diverse AI accelerators. It is hosted in OpenAtom Foundation. | | Stars | 53,271 | 1,464 | | Forks | 9,671 | 256 | | Open issues | 3,915 | 179 | | 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. | Apache-2.0 | | 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) | [xllm](/tools/xllm-ai-xllm.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 3.9k | 179 | | Security scan | 2 low (2 low) | No lockfile | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/berriai-litellm/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/xllm-ai-xllm/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; xllm is C++. - License: litellm is Other, xllm is Apache-2.0. - 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, llm. - 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 xllm if… - xllm is primarily C++; litellm is Python. - License: xllm is Apache-2.0, litellm is Other. - Tags unique to xllm: c++, deepseek, glm, 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 xllm - 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 xllm? litellm: Python SDK and Proxy Server for calling multiple LLM APIs. xllm: A high-performance inference engine for LLM, VLM, DiT and REC models, optimized for diverse AI accelerators. It is hosted in OpenAtom Foundation.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose litellm over xllm? Choose litellm over xllm when litellm is primarily Python; xllm is C++; License: litellm is Other, xllm is Apache-2.0; 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, llm; 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 xllm over litellm? Choose xllm over litellm when xllm is primarily C++; litellm is Python; License: xllm is Apache-2.0, litellm is Other; Tags unique to xllm: c++, deepseek, glm, 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 xllm? 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 xllm more popular on GitHub? litellm has more GitHub stars (53,271 vs 1,464). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are litellm and xllm open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (litellm: Other, xllm: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to litellm or xllm? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [litellm alternatives](/tools/berriai-litellm/alternatives) and [xllm alternatives](/tools/xllm-ai-xllm/alternatives) ([litellm markdown twin](/tools/berriai-litellm/alternatives.md), [xllm markdown twin](/tools/xllm-ai-xllm/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-xllm-ai-xllm.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, litellm or xllm? litellm: Very active. xllm: 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 xllm? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [litellm trust report](/tools/berriai-litellm/trust); [xllm trust report](/tools/xllm-ai-xllm/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/_