--- title: "ai-gateway vs awesome-free-llm-apis" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/ferro-labs-ai-gateway-vs-mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis" tools: ["ferro-labs-ai-gateway", "mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis"] --- # ai-gateway vs awesome-free-llm-apis *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict 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; pick awesome-free-llm-apis if awesome-free-llm-apis curates permanent free Large Language Model APIs with notable details on their limitations and access methods. [ai-gateway](https://docs.ferrolabs.ai) reports 256 GitHub stars, 35 forks, and 68 open issues, last pushed Sep 10, 2026. [awesome-free-llm-apis](https://github.com/mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis) has 7.9k stars, 746 forks, and 17 open issues, last pushed Aug 21, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ai-gateway's repository](https://github.com/ferro-labs/ai-gateway) and [awesome-free-llm-apis's repository](https://github.com/mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis). | | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | [awesome-free-llm-apis](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls | List of Permanent Free LLM API | | Stars | 256 | 7,852 | | Forks | 35 | 746 | | Open issues | 68 | 17 | | Language | Go | JavaScript | | 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. | awesome-free-llm-apis curates permanent free Large Language Model APIs with notable details on their limitations and access methods. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 - a permissive free software license | This resource is distributed under the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0-1.0) license. | | Categories | Inference & Serving, Model Training | Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | [awesome-free-llm-apis](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Active (82%) | | Days since push | 2d | 29d | | Open issues (now) | 68 | 17 | | Stars delta | +37 (30d) | +1.3k (30d) | | Open issues delta | +5 (30d) | -8 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/trust.md) | ## 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 ## Decision facts: awesome-free-llm-apis - **Pricing:** freemium - The repository lists APIs with permanent free tiers, detailing rate and token limits for those interested in using free Large Language Model services. - **Requirements:** Before integration, ensure that the specific requirements for API access are met to utilize these models without restriction.; Users should review the rate and token limits associated with each API provider to determine suitability based on their project's needs. - **Adopt for:** awesome-free-llm-apis curates permanent free Large Language Model APIs with notable details on their limitations and access methods. - **License detail:** This resource is distributed under the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0-1.0) license. ## Choose when ### Choose ai-gateway if… - ai-gateway is primarily Go; awesome-free-llm-apis is JavaScript. - License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0. - 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 ### Choose awesome-free-llm-apis if… - awesome-free-llm-apis is primarily JavaScript; ai-gateway is Go. - License: awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0. - Pricing: The repository lists APIs with permanent free tiers, detailing rate and token limits for those interested in using free Large Language Model services.. - Requirements: Before integration, ensure that the specific requirements for API access are met to utilize these models without restriction.; Users should review the rate and token limits associated with each API provider to determine suitability based on their project's needs.. - Tags unique to awesome-free-llm-apis: ai-agents, anthropic, gemini, llm. - When you need text inference with specialized capabilities like roleplay and storytelling, the Aion Labs API offers a dedicated free tier specifically designed for these purposes. ## 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 ## When NOT to use awesome-free-llm-apis - Avoid using Aion Labs if your project involves heavy commercial activity, given its limited rate and token limits. - Do not use Cohere for projects that will scale beyond 1,000 API calls per month or require credit card details for access to higher-tier plans. - Google Gemini's free tier is inaccessible in the EU/UK/Switzerland regions and requires consent to let Google improve their products through your usage. - Mistral AI should be avoided if you need strict confidentiality, as they use prompts from users' interactions to refine and train additional model iterations. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ai-gateway and awesome-free-llm-apis? ai-gateway: Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls. awesome-free-llm-apis: List of Permanent Free LLM API. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ai-gateway over awesome-free-llm-apis? Choose ai-gateway over awesome-free-llm-apis when ai-gateway is primarily Go; awesome-free-llm-apis is JavaScript; License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0; 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 choose awesome-free-llm-apis over ai-gateway? Choose awesome-free-llm-apis over ai-gateway when awesome-free-llm-apis is primarily JavaScript; ai-gateway is Go; License: awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0; Pricing: The repository lists APIs with permanent free tiers, detailing rate and token limits for those interested in using free Large Language Model services.; Requirements: Before integration, ensure that the specific requirements for API access are met to utilize these models without restriction.; Users should review the rate and token limits associated with each API provider to determine suitability based on their project's needs.; Tags unique to awesome-free-llm-apis: ai-agents, anthropic, gemini, llm; When you need text inference with specialized capabilities like roleplay and storytelling, the Aion Labs API offers a dedicated free tier specifically designed for these purposes. ### 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 ### When should I avoid awesome-free-llm-apis? Avoid using Aion Labs if your project involves heavy commercial activity, given its limited rate and token limits. Do not use Cohere for projects that will scale beyond 1,000 API calls per month or require credit card details for access to higher-tier plans. Google Gemini's free tier is inaccessible in the EU/UK/Switzerland regions and requires consent to let Google improve their products through your usage. Mistral AI should be avoided if you need strict confidentiality, as they use prompts from users' interactions to refine and train additional model iterations. ### Is ai-gateway or awesome-free-llm-apis more popular on GitHub? awesome-free-llm-apis has more GitHub stars (7,852 vs 256). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ai-gateway and awesome-free-llm-apis open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ai-gateway: Apache-2.0, awesome-free-llm-apis: CC0-1.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to ai-gateway or awesome-free-llm-apis? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ai-gateway alternatives](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives) and [awesome-free-llm-apis alternatives](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/alternatives) ([ai-gateway markdown twin](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives.md), [awesome-free-llm-apis markdown twin](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/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/ferro-labs-ai-gateway-vs-mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, ai-gateway or awesome-free-llm-apis? ai-gateway: Very active. awesome-free-llm-apis: 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 ai-gateway and awesome-free-llm-apis? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [ai-gateway trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust); [awesome-free-llm-apis trust report](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=ferro-labs-ai-gateway`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=ferro-labs-ai-gateway) - 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/_