Comparison
mlx-serve vs ai-gateway
Verdict
Pick mlx-serve if focused on supporting Apple Silicon-powered macOS devices, mlx-serve provides a native and API-compatible inference service without requiring Python; 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.
Markdown twin · mlx-serve alternatives · ai-gateway alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
15views this month
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Trust & integrity
| Signal | mlx-serve | ai-gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Very active (2d since push) As of Sep 12, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 12, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1 | Published findings 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
- mlx-serve
- Native LLM inference server for Apple Silicon
- ai-gateway
- Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls
Stars
- mlx-serve
- 1.4k
- ai-gateway
- 256
Forks
- mlx-serve
- 130
- ai-gateway
- 35
Open issues
- mlx-serve
- 54
- ai-gateway
- 68
Language
- mlx-serve
- Zig
- ai-gateway
- Go
Adopt for
- mlx-serve
- Focused on supporting Apple Silicon-powered macOS devices, mlx-serve provides a native and API-compatible inference service without requiring Python.
- ai-gateway
- 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
- mlx-serve
- -
- ai-gateway
- -
Runtime
- mlx-serve
- -
- ai-gateway
- -
License
- mlx-serve
- MIT
- ai-gateway
- Apache-2.0 - a permissive free software license
Last pushed
- mlx-serve
- Sep 19, 2026
- ai-gateway
- Sep 10, 2026
Categories
- mlx-serve
- Inference & Serving
- ai-gateway
- Inference & Serving, Model Training
Trust and health
Days since push
- mlx-serve
- 0d
- ai-gateway
- 2d
Open issues (now)
- mlx-serve
- 54
- ai-gateway
- 68
Stars delta
- mlx-serve
- +1.1k (30d)
- ai-gateway
- +37 (30d)
Open issues delta
- mlx-serve
- +51 (30d)
- ai-gateway
- +5 (30d)
Owner type
- mlx-serve
- User
- ai-gateway
- Organization
OSV dependency advisories
- mlx-serve
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- ai-gateway
- Published findings
Full report
- mlx-serve
- Trust report
- ai-gateway
- Trust report
Choose mlx-serve if…
- mlx-serve is primarily Zig; ai-gateway is Go.
- License: mlx-serve is MIT, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0.
- Requirements: Requires Apple Silicon-powered macOS devices to ensure optimal performance and compatibility..
- Tags unique to mlx-serve: agent, anthropic-api, apple-silicon, deepseek-v4.
- Use when your project requires running large language model (LLM) inferencing natively on Apple Silicon hardware.
When NOT to use mlx-serve
- Avoid if your infrastructure does not include devices with Apple Silicon chips, as it is specifically optimized for this architecture.
- Do not use if you require cross-platform compatibility as mlx-serve targets macOS exclusively.
- This tool might not be suitable if Python integration is crucial in your project.
Choose ai-gateway if…
- ai-gateway is primarily Go; mlx-serve is Zig.
- License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, mlx-serve is MIT.
- Tags unique to ai-gateway: ai-gateway, litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy.
- Also covers Model Training.
- When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic
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
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (ddalcu/mlx-serve) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (ddalcu/mlx-serve) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (ddalcu/mlx-serve) · observed Sep 19, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (ferro-labs/ai-gateway) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (ferro-labs/ai-gateway) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (ferro-labs/ai-gateway) · observed Sep 10, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: mlx-serve 1.4k · ai-gateway 256 (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between mlx-serve and ai-gateway?
- mlx-serve: Native LLM inference server for Apple Silicon. 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 mlx-serve over ai-gateway?
- Choose mlx-serve over ai-gateway when mlx-serve is primarily Zig; ai-gateway is Go; License: mlx-serve is MIT, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0; Requirements: Requires Apple Silicon-powered macOS devices to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.; Tags unique to mlx-serve: agent, anthropic-api, apple-silicon, deepseek-v4; Use when your project requires running large language model (LLM) inferencing natively on Apple Silicon hardware.
- When should I choose ai-gateway over mlx-serve?
- Choose ai-gateway over mlx-serve when ai-gateway is primarily Go; mlx-serve is Zig; License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, mlx-serve is MIT; Tags unique to ai-gateway: ai-gateway, litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy; Also covers Model Training; When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic.
- When should I avoid mlx-serve?
- Avoid if your infrastructure does not include devices with Apple Silicon chips, as it is specifically optimized for this architecture. Do not use if you require cross-platform compatibility as mlx-serve targets macOS exclusively. This tool might not be suitable if Python integration is crucial in your project.
- 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 mlx-serve or ai-gateway more popular on GitHub?
- mlx-serve has more GitHub stars (1,418 vs 256). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are mlx-serve and ai-gateway open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (mlx-serve: MIT, ai-gateway: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to mlx-serve or ai-gateway?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at mlx-serve alternatives and ai-gateway alternatives (mlx-serve markdown twin, ai-gateway 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, mlx-serve or ai-gateway?
- mlx-serve: 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 mlx-serve and ai-gateway?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: mlx-serve trust report; ai-gateway trust report.