--- title: "ai-gateway vs serge" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/ferro-labs-ai-gateway-vs-serge-chat-serge" tools: ["ferro-labs-ai-gateway", "serge-chat-serge"] --- # ai-gateway vs serge *GraphCanon updated Aug 9, 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 serge if serge is a web interface for interacting with the Alpaca model via llama.cpp, fully dockerized and easy to start using. [ai-gateway](https://docs.ferrolabs.ai) reports 219 GitHub stars, 33 forks, and 63 open issues, last pushed Aug 7, 2026. [serge](https://serge.chat) has 5.7k stars, 388 forks, and 33 open issues, last pushed Nov 21, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ai-gateway's repository](https://github.com/ferro-labs/ai-gateway) and [serge's repository](https://github.com/serge-chat/serge). | | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | [serge](/tools/serge-chat-serge.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls | Web interface for chatting with Alpaca through llama.cpp | | Stars | 219 | 5,716 | | Forks | 33 | 388 | | Open issues | 63 | 33 | | Language | Go | Svelte | | 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. | Serge is a web interface for interacting with the Alpaca model via llama.cpp, fully dockerized and easy to start using. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 - a permissive free software license | Licensed under dual licenses of Apache-2.0 and MIT License. | | Categories | Inference & Serving, Model Training | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | [serge](/tools/serge-chat-serge.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Archived (8%) | | Days since push | 2d | 259d | | Archived on GitHub | No | Yes | | Open issues (now) | 63 | 33 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/serge-chat-serge/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: serge - **Pricing:** freemium - Serge is open source, permitting free use and alteration under its dual licenses, Apache-2.0 and MIT. - **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker - **Adopt for:** Serge is a web interface for interacting with the Alpaca model via llama.cpp, fully dockerized and easy to start using. - **License detail:** Licensed under dual licenses of Apache-2.0 and MIT License. ## Choose when ### Choose ai-gateway if… - ai-gateway is primarily Go; serge is Svelte. - 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 serge if… - serge is primarily Svelte; ai-gateway is Go. - Pricing: Serge is open source, permitting free use and alteration under its dual licenses, Apache-2.0 and MIT.. - Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker. - Tags unique to serge: alpaca, docker, fastapi, llama. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. - serge ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Use Serge when you need an out-of-the-box solution for chatting with the Alpaca model without deep technical setup knowledge. Its pre-configured Docker image ensures quick deployment. ## 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 serge - Avoid Serge if you require a custom model other than Alpaca or need capabilities not provided by the llama.cpp backend. It is specifically tailored for this configuration. - Do not use Serge if your project strictly demands a single software license; it uses both MIT and Apache-2.0, which may conflict with third-party dependencies. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ai-gateway and serge? ai-gateway: Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls. serge: Web interface for chatting with Alpaca through llama.cpp. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ai-gateway over serge? Choose ai-gateway over serge when ai-gateway is primarily Go; serge is Svelte; 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 serge over ai-gateway? Choose serge over ai-gateway when serge is primarily Svelte; ai-gateway is Go; Pricing: Serge is open source, permitting free use and alteration under its dual licenses, Apache-2.0 and MIT.; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Tags unique to serge: alpaca, docker, fastapi, llama; Also covers LLM Frameworks; serge ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Use Serge when you need an out-of-the-box solution for chatting with the Alpaca model without deep technical setup knowledge. Its pre-configured Docker image ensures quick deployment. ### 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 serge? Avoid Serge if you require a custom model other than Alpaca or need capabilities not provided by the llama.cpp backend. It is specifically tailored for this configuration. Do not use Serge if your project strictly demands a single software license; it uses both MIT and Apache-2.0, which may conflict with third-party dependencies. ### Is ai-gateway or serge more popular on GitHub? serge has more GitHub stars (5,716 vs 219). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ai-gateway and serge open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ai-gateway: Apache-2.0, serge: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to ai-gateway or serge? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ai-gateway alternatives](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives) and [serge alternatives](/tools/serge-chat-serge/alternatives) ([ai-gateway markdown twin](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives.md), [serge markdown twin](/tools/serge-chat-serge/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-serge-chat-serge.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, ai-gateway or serge? ai-gateway: Very active. serge: Archived. 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 serge? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [ai-gateway trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust); [serge trust report](/tools/serge-chat-serge/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/_