--- title: "LibreChat vs ai-gateway" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/danny-avila-librechat-vs-ferro-labs-ai-gateway" tools: ["danny-avila-librechat", "ferro-labs-ai-gateway"] --- # LibreChat vs ai-gateway *GraphCanon updated Aug 25, 2026* ## Verdict Pick LibreChat if libreChat provides a versatile AI chat platform for self-hosting with extensive features like model switching, code interpretation, and secure multi-user authentication; pick ai-gateway if ai-gateway from Ferro Labs supports over 30 LLMs with integrated caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls, making it ideal for managing multiple language models in a production environment. [LibreChat](https://librechat.ai/) reports 42k GitHub stars, 8.8k forks, and 725 open issues, last pushed Aug 25, 2026. [ai-gateway](https://docs.ferrolabs.ai) has 219 stars, 33 forks, and 63 open issues, last pushed Aug 7, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [LibreChat's repository](https://github.com/danny-avila/LibreChat) and [ai-gateway's repository](https://github.com/ferro-labs/ai-gateway). | | [LibreChat](/tools/danny-avila-librechat.md) | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Enhanced ChatGPT Clone with extensive features and integrations for self-hosting | Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls | | Stars | 42,443 | 219 | | Forks | 8,804 | 33 | | Open issues | 725 | 63 | | Language | TypeScript | Go | | Adopt for | LibreChat provides a versatile AI chat platform for self-hosting with extensive features like model switching, code interpretation, and secure multi-user authentication. | ai-gateway from Ferro Labs supports over 30 LLMs with integrated caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls, making it ideal for managing multiple language models in a production environment. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 - a permissive free software license | | Categories | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, Evaluation & Observability, Inference & Serving, Model Training | Inference & Serving, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [LibreChat](/tools/danny-avila-librechat.md) | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 2d | | Open issues (now) | 725 | 63 | | Stars delta | +1.2k (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +100 (30d) | Unknown | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/danny-avila-librechat/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: LibreChat - **Adopt for:** LibreChat provides a versatile AI chat platform for self-hosting with extensive features like model switching, code interpretation, and secure multi-user authentication. ## Decision facts: ai-gateway - **Adopt for:** ai-gateway from Ferro Labs supports over 30 LLMs with integrated caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls, making it ideal for managing multiple language models in a production environment. - **License detail:** Apache-2.0 - a permissive free software license ## Choose when ### Choose LibreChat if… - LibreChat is primarily TypeScript; ai-gateway is Go. - License: LibreChat is MIT, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to LibreChat: ai, anthropic, artifacts, aws. - Also covers AI Agents, Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, Evaluation & Observability. - LibreChat ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Need to support multiple AI models and protocols in one tool ### Choose ai-gateway if… - ai-gateway is primarily Go; LibreChat is TypeScript. - License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, LibreChat is MIT. - Tags unique to ai-gateway: ai-gateway, litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy. - When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic ## When NOT to use LibreChat - Looking for a simpler solution with fewer configurability options - Do not require extensive third-party service integrations or complex customizations ## When NOT to use ai-gateway - If your project only involves one or two LLMs which does not necessitate the gateway's broad compatibility features - For small-scale projects that do not require comprehensive cost analysis tools - When custom integration for specific guardrails is required, as ai-gateway offers generalized settings ## Common questions ### What is the difference between LibreChat and ai-gateway? LibreChat: Enhanced ChatGPT Clone with extensive features and integrations for self-hosting. ai-gateway: Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose LibreChat over ai-gateway? Choose LibreChat over ai-gateway when LibreChat is primarily TypeScript; ai-gateway is Go; License: LibreChat is MIT, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to LibreChat: ai, anthropic, artifacts, aws; Also covers AI Agents, Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, Evaluation & Observability; LibreChat ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Need to support multiple AI models and protocols in one tool. ### When should I choose ai-gateway over LibreChat? Choose ai-gateway over LibreChat when ai-gateway is primarily Go; LibreChat is TypeScript; License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, LibreChat is MIT; Tags unique to ai-gateway: ai-gateway, litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy; When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic. ### When should I avoid LibreChat? Looking for a simpler solution with fewer configurability options Do not require extensive third-party service integrations or complex customizations ### When should I avoid ai-gateway? If your project only involves one or two LLMs which does not necessitate the gateway's broad compatibility features For small-scale projects that do not require comprehensive cost analysis tools When custom integration for specific guardrails is required, as ai-gateway offers generalized settings ### Is LibreChat or ai-gateway more popular on GitHub? LibreChat has more GitHub stars (42,443 vs 219). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are LibreChat and ai-gateway open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (LibreChat: MIT, ai-gateway: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to LibreChat or ai-gateway? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [LibreChat alternatives](/tools/danny-avila-librechat/alternatives) and [ai-gateway alternatives](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives) ([LibreChat markdown twin](/tools/danny-avila-librechat/alternatives.md), [ai-gateway markdown twin](/tools/ferro-labs-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 [this comparison](/compare/danny-avila-librechat-vs-ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, LibreChat or ai-gateway? LibreChat: Very active. ai-gateway: 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 LibreChat and ai-gateway? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [LibreChat trust report](/tools/danny-avila-librechat/trust); [ai-gateway trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=danny-avila-librechat`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=danny-avila-librechat) - 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/_