--- title: "ai-gateway vs llm.ts" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/ferro-labs-ai-gateway-vs-r2d4-llm-ts" tools: ["ferro-labs-ai-gateway", "r2d4-llm-ts"] --- # ai-gateway vs llm.ts *GraphCanon updated Aug 15, 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 llm.ts if llm.ts is a TypeScript library for interacting with various Large Language Models via a unified API interface. [ai-gateway](https://docs.ferrolabs.ai) reports 219 GitHub stars, 33 forks, and 63 open issues, last pushed Aug 7, 2026. [llm.ts](https://github.com/r2d4/llm.ts) has 214 stars, 9 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed May 9, 2023. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ai-gateway's repository](https://github.com/ferro-labs/ai-gateway) and [llm.ts's repository](https://github.com/r2d4/llm.ts). | | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | [llm.ts](/tools/r2d4-llm-ts.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls | Call any LLM with a single API. Zero dependencies. | | Stars | 219 | 214 | | Forks | 33 | 9 | | Open issues | 63 | 2 | | Language | Go | TypeScript | | 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. | llm.ts is a TypeScript library for interacting with various Large Language Models via a unified API interface. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 - a permissive free software license | MIT License - permissive license that is short and simple, allowing you to use the software in any project as long as this licensing information is retained | | Categories | Inference & Serving, Model Training | LLM Frameworks, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | [llm.ts](/tools/r2d4-llm-ts.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 2d | 1193d | | Open issues (now) | 63 | 2 | | Stars delta | Unknown | +1 (30d) | | Open issues delta | Unknown | 0 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/r2d4-llm-ts/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: llm.ts - **Hosting:** unknown - Supports multiple providers including OpenAI, Cohere, and HuggingFace. Can be extended by opening a PR. - **Adopt for:** llm.ts is a TypeScript library for interacting with various Large Language Models via a unified API interface. - **License detail:** MIT License - permissive license that is short and simple, allowing you to use the software in any project as long as this licensing information is retained ## Choose when ### Choose ai-gateway if… - ai-gateway is primarily Go; llm.ts is TypeScript. - License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, llm.ts is MIT. - Tags unique to ai-gateway: ai-gateway, litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic ### Choose llm.ts if… - llm.ts is primarily TypeScript; ai-gateway is Go. - License: llm.ts is MIT, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0. - Supports multiple providers including OpenAI, Cohere, and HuggingFace. Can be extended by opening a PR. - Tags unique to llm.ts: ai, cohere, huggingface, llm. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. - You need to interact with multiple LLM providers like OpenAI, Cohere, and HuggingFace through a single API. ## 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 llm.ts - If you require functionalities that are specific to one provider that are not yet unified or supported within the llm.ts framework. - For projects that aim to minimize dependencies, though llm.ts itself claims zero dependencies, its reliance on external LLM providers could indirectly introduce complexities. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ai-gateway and llm.ts? ai-gateway: Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls. llm.ts: Call any LLM with a single API. Zero dependencies.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ai-gateway over llm.ts? Choose ai-gateway over llm.ts when ai-gateway is primarily Go; llm.ts is TypeScript; License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, llm.ts is MIT; Tags unique to ai-gateway: ai-gateway, litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy; Also covers Inference & Serving; When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic. ### When should I choose llm.ts over ai-gateway? Choose llm.ts over ai-gateway when llm.ts is primarily TypeScript; ai-gateway is Go; License: llm.ts is MIT, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0; Supports multiple providers including OpenAI, Cohere, and HuggingFace. Can be extended by opening a PR; Tags unique to llm.ts: ai, cohere, huggingface, llm; Also covers LLM Frameworks; You need to interact with multiple LLM providers like OpenAI, Cohere, and HuggingFace through a single API. ### 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 llm.ts? If you require functionalities that are specific to one provider that are not yet unified or supported within the llm.ts framework. For projects that aim to minimize dependencies, though llm.ts itself claims zero dependencies, its reliance on external LLM providers could indirectly introduce complexities. ### Is ai-gateway or llm.ts more popular on GitHub? ai-gateway has more GitHub stars (219 vs 214). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ai-gateway and llm.ts open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ai-gateway: Apache-2.0, llm.ts: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to ai-gateway or llm.ts? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ai-gateway alternatives](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives) and [llm.ts alternatives](/tools/r2d4-llm-ts/alternatives) ([ai-gateway markdown twin](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives.md), [llm.ts markdown twin](/tools/r2d4-llm-ts/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-r2d4-llm-ts.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, ai-gateway or llm.ts? ai-gateway: Very active. llm.ts: Dormant. 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 llm.ts? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [ai-gateway trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust); [llm.ts trust report](/tools/r2d4-llm-ts/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/_