--- title: "OmniRoute vs catai" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/diegosouzapw-omniroute-vs-withcatai-catai" tools: ["diegosouzapw-omniroute", "withcatai-catai"] --- # OmniRoute vs catai *GraphCanon updated Aug 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick OmniRoute if omniRoute is an open-source AI gateway that connects to over 231 providers, including popular ones like Claude and Codex. It features token savings through RTK+Caveman compression, smart auto-fallback mechanisms, and a '; pick catai if catai, an AI assistant framework built for local deployment with Node.js, offers developers using TypeScript the ability to create and deploy AI. [OmniRoute](https://omniroute.online) reports 51k GitHub stars, 7.0k forks, and 391 open issues, last pushed Aug 19, 2026. [catai](https://withcatai.github.io/catai/) has 498 stars, 39 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Nov 16, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [OmniRoute's repository](https://github.com/diegosouzapw/OmniRoute) and [catai's repository](https://github.com/withcatai/catai). | | [OmniRoute](/tools/diegosouzapw-omniroute.md) | [catai](/tools/withcatai-catai.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Free AI gateway with multi-provider support and token savings | Run AI assistant locally with Node.js | | Stars | 51,233 | 498 | | Forks | 6,970 | 39 | | Open issues | 391 | 2 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | OmniRoute is an open-source AI gateway that connects to over 231 providers, including popular ones like Claude and Codex. It features token savings through RTK+Caveman compression, smart auto-fallback mechanisms, and a ' | catai, an AI assistant framework built for local deployment with Node.js, offers developers using TypeScript the ability to create and deploy AI agents through a simple API. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [OmniRoute](/tools/diegosouzapw-omniroute.md) | [catai](/tools/withcatai-catai.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 0d | 269d | | Open issues (now) | 391 | 2 | | Stars delta | +30k (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +173 (30d) | Unknown | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/diegosouzapw-omniroute/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/withcatai-catai/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Node.js**: [OmniRoute](/tools/diegosouzapw-omniroute.md) - Node.js runtime; [catai](/tools/withcatai-catai.md) - Node.js runtime ## Decision facts: OmniRoute - **Pricing:** freemium - OmniRoute is free to use with token savings features. It supports both paid and over 50+ free AI providers. - **Adopt for:** OmniRoute is an open-source AI gateway that connects to over 231 providers, including popular ones like Claude and Codex. It features token savings through RTK+Caveman compression, smart auto-fallback mechanisms, and a ' ## Decision facts: catai - **Adopt for:** catai, an AI assistant framework built for local deployment with Node.js, offers developers using TypeScript the ability to create and deploy AI agents through a simple API. ## Choose when ### Choose OmniRoute if… - Pricing: OmniRoute is free to use with token savings features. It supports both paid and over 50+ free AI providers.. - Tags unique to OmniRoute: ai-agents, free-ai, llm-gateway, token-saver. - OmniRoute ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - OmniRoute ships an MCP server manifest. - Use OmniRoute if you need extensive API provider support, as it can connect to more than 231 different providers. ### Choose catai if… - Tags unique to catai: ai-assistant, chatbot, ggmlv3, llama-cpp. - - When aiming to deploy a local AI assistant without reliance on cloud-based services; catai is ideal due to its focus on node-llama-cpp integration, allowing for robust offline capabilities. - Leaner open-issue backlog (2). ## When NOT to use OmniRoute - Avoid using OmniRoute if your project requires a more robust commercial backend, as the free options it supports might be limited in terms of throughput or capacity. - Do not use OmniRoute if real-time latency is critical for your application, since its auto-fallback mechanism and routing across various providers could introduce variable delays. ## When NOT to use catai - - For environments that strictly prohibit or limit Node.js operations on the server side, as catai is engineered to run locally via Node.js only. - - If seeking a cloud-based AI deployment solution that does not require local setup, since catai focuses solely on providing local AI capabilities through an easy-to-use API. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between OmniRoute and catai? OmniRoute: Free AI gateway with multi-provider support and token savings. catai: Run AI assistant locally with Node.js. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose OmniRoute over catai? Choose OmniRoute over catai when Pricing: OmniRoute is free to use with token savings features. It supports both paid and over 50+ free AI providers.; Tags unique to OmniRoute: ai-agents, free-ai, llm-gateway, token-saver; OmniRoute ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; OmniRoute ships an MCP server manifest; Use OmniRoute if you need extensive API provider support, as it can connect to more than 231 different providers. ### When should I choose catai over OmniRoute? Choose catai over OmniRoute when Tags unique to catai: ai-assistant, chatbot, ggmlv3, llama-cpp; - When aiming to deploy a local AI assistant without reliance on cloud-based services; catai is ideal due to its focus on node-llama-cpp integration, allowing for robust offline capabilities; Leaner open-issue backlog (2). ### When should I avoid OmniRoute? Avoid using OmniRoute if your project requires a more robust commercial backend, as the free options it supports might be limited in terms of throughput or capacity. Do not use OmniRoute if real-time latency is critical for your application, since its auto-fallback mechanism and routing across various providers could introduce variable delays. ### When should I avoid catai? - For environments that strictly prohibit or limit Node.js operations on the server side, as catai is engineered to run locally via Node.js only. - If seeking a cloud-based AI deployment solution that does not require local setup, since catai focuses solely on providing local AI capabilities through an easy-to-use API. ### Is OmniRoute or catai more popular on GitHub? OmniRoute has more GitHub stars (51,233 vs 498). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are OmniRoute and catai open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (OmniRoute: MIT, catai: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to OmniRoute or catai? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [OmniRoute alternatives](/tools/diegosouzapw-omniroute/alternatives) and [catai alternatives](/tools/withcatai-catai/alternatives) ([OmniRoute markdown twin](/tools/diegosouzapw-omniroute/alternatives.md), [catai markdown twin](/tools/withcatai-catai/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/diegosouzapw-omniroute-vs-withcatai-catai.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, OmniRoute or catai? OmniRoute: Very active. catai: Slowing. 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 OmniRoute and catai? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [OmniRoute trust report](/tools/diegosouzapw-omniroute/trust); [catai trust report](/tools/withcatai-catai/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=diegosouzapw-omniroute`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=diegosouzapw-omniroute) - 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/_