--- title: "ai-gateway vs llmgateway" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/ferro-labs-ai-gateway-vs-theopenco-llmgateway" tools: ["ferro-labs-ai-gateway", "theopenco-llmgateway"] --- # ai-gateway vs llmgateway *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 llmgateway if lLM Gateway offers a unified API interface to route and manage Large Language Model requests from multiple providers with features such as analytics, API key. [ai-gateway](https://docs.ferrolabs.ai) reports 256 GitHub stars, 35 forks, and 68 open issues, last pushed Sep 10, 2026. [llmgateway](https://llmgateway.io) has 1.6k stars, 181 forks, and 77 open issues, last pushed Sep 11, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ai-gateway's repository](https://github.com/ferro-labs/ai-gateway) and [llmgateway's repository](https://github.com/theopenco/llmgateway). | | [ai-gateway](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway.md) | [llmgateway](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls | Route and manage LLM requests via unified API interface | | Stars | 256 | 1,624 | | Forks | 35 | 181 | | Open issues | 68 | 77 | | 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 Gateway offers a unified API interface to route and manage Large Language Model requests from multiple providers with features such as analytics, API key management, and rate limiting. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 - a permissive free software license | Dual licensed: Open Source (Core - AGPLv3), Enterprise (Commercial Features - requires Enterprise 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) | [llmgateway](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 2d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 68 | 77 | | Stars delta | +37 (30d) | +106 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +5 (30d) | +12 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/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: llmgateway - **Hosting:** self hosted - Available both as a hosted service at llmgateway.io and can be self-hosted using Docker for full control over configuration and data security. - **Requirements:** Requires Docker; Self-hosting must avoid direct binding of host directories to /var/lib/postgresql/data to prevent permission setting issues during PostgreSQL initialization. - **Adopt for:** LLM Gateway offers a unified API interface to route and manage Large Language Model requests from multiple providers with features such as analytics, API key management, and rate limiting. - **License detail:** Dual licensed: Open Source (Core - AGPLv3), Enterprise (Commercial Features - requires Enterprise license) ## Choose when ### Choose ai-gateway if… - ai-gateway is primarily Go; llmgateway is TypeScript. - License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, llmgateway is Other. - Tags unique to ai-gateway: litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy, openai-compatible. - Also covers Model Training. - When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic ### Choose llmgateway if… - llmgateway is primarily TypeScript; ai-gateway is Go. - License: llmgateway is Other, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0. - Available both as a hosted service at llmgateway.io and can be self-hosted using Docker for full control over configuration and data security. - Requirements: Requires Docker; Self-hosting must avoid direct binding of host directories to /var/lib/postgresql/data to prevent permission setting issues during PostgreSQL initialization.. - Tags unique to llmgateway: api-key-management, observability, rate-limiting. - llmgateway ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Your project requires interfacing with multiple LLM providers for diversified use cases. ## 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 llmgateway - The project only involves using a single LLM provider which does not necessitate the complexity of managing multiple gateways. - Development requirements do not include fine-grained rate limiting or detailed analytics that LLM Gateway provides. - Budget constraints and licensing considerations disallow the use of commercial features, given that core functionality is under AGPLv3. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ai-gateway and llmgateway? ai-gateway: Unified AI Gateway for multiple LLMs with caching, guardrails, A/B testing, and cost controls. llmgateway: Route and manage LLM requests via unified API interface. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ai-gateway over llmgateway? Choose ai-gateway over llmgateway when ai-gateway is primarily Go; llmgateway is TypeScript; License: ai-gateway is Apache-2.0, llmgateway is Other; Tags unique to ai-gateway: litellm, llm-cost, llm-proxy, openai-compatible; Also covers Model Training; When you need to integrate more than 30 different LLM services including OpenAI and Anthropic. ### When should I choose llmgateway over ai-gateway? Choose llmgateway over ai-gateway when llmgateway is primarily TypeScript; ai-gateway is Go; License: llmgateway is Other, ai-gateway is Apache-2.0; Available both as a hosted service at llmgateway.io and can be self-hosted using Docker for full control over configuration and data security; Requirements: Requires Docker; Self-hosting must avoid direct binding of host directories to /var/lib/postgresql/data to prevent permission setting issues during PostgreSQL initialization.; Tags unique to llmgateway: api-key-management, observability, rate-limiting; llmgateway ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Your project requires interfacing with multiple LLM providers for diversified use cases. ### 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 llmgateway? The project only involves using a single LLM provider which does not necessitate the complexity of managing multiple gateways. Development requirements do not include fine-grained rate limiting or detailed analytics that LLM Gateway provides. Budget constraints and licensing considerations disallow the use of commercial features, given that core functionality is under AGPLv3. ### Is ai-gateway or llmgateway more popular on GitHub? llmgateway has more GitHub stars (1,624 vs 256). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ai-gateway and llmgateway open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ai-gateway: Apache-2.0, llmgateway: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to ai-gateway or llmgateway? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ai-gateway alternatives](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives) and [llmgateway alternatives](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/alternatives) ([ai-gateway markdown twin](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/alternatives.md), [llmgateway markdown twin](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/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-theopenco-llmgateway.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, ai-gateway or llmgateway? ai-gateway: Very active. llmgateway: 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 ai-gateway and llmgateway? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [ai-gateway trust report](/tools/ferro-labs-ai-gateway/trust); [llmgateway trust report](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/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/_