---
title: "awesome-free-llm-apis vs llmgateway"
type: "comparison"
canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis-vs-theopenco-llmgateway"
tools: ["mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis", "theopenco-llmgateway"]
---

# awesome-free-llm-apis vs llmgateway

*GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026*

## Verdict

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; 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 management, and rate limiting.

[awesome-free-llm-apis](https://github.com/mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis) reports 7.9k GitHub stars, 746 forks, and 17 open issues, last pushed Aug 21, 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 [awesome-free-llm-apis's repository](https://github.com/mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis) and [llmgateway's repository](https://github.com/theopenco/llmgateway).

| | [awesome-free-llm-apis](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis.md) | [llmgateway](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | List of Permanent Free LLM API | Route and manage LLM requests via unified API interface |
| Stars | 7,852 | 1,624 |
| Forks | 746 | 181 |
| Open issues | 17 | 77 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Adopt for | awesome-free-llm-apis curates permanent free Large Language Model APIs with notable details on their limitations and access methods. | 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 | This resource is distributed under the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0-1.0) license. | Dual licensed: Open Source (Core - AGPLv3), Enterprise (Commercial Features - requires Enterprise license) |
| Categories | Inference & Serving | Inference & Serving |

## Trust and health

_Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._

| | [awesome-free-llm-apis](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis.md) | [llmgateway](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) |
| Days since push | 29d | 0d |
| Open issues (now) | 17 | 77 |
| Stars delta | +1.3k (30d) | +106 (30d) |
| Open issues delta | -8 (30d) | +12 (30d) |
| Full report | [trust report](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/trust.md) |

## 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.

## 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 awesome-free-llm-apis if…

- awesome-free-llm-apis is primarily JavaScript; llmgateway is TypeScript.
- License: awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0, llmgateway is Other.
- 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.

### Choose llmgateway if…

- llmgateway is primarily TypeScript; awesome-free-llm-apis is JavaScript.
- License: llmgateway is Other, awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0.
- 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: ai-gateway, 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 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.

## 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 awesome-free-llm-apis and llmgateway?

awesome-free-llm-apis: List of Permanent Free LLM API. 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 awesome-free-llm-apis over llmgateway?

Choose awesome-free-llm-apis over llmgateway when awesome-free-llm-apis is primarily JavaScript; llmgateway is TypeScript; License: awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0, llmgateway is Other; 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 choose llmgateway over awesome-free-llm-apis?

Choose llmgateway over awesome-free-llm-apis when llmgateway is primarily TypeScript; awesome-free-llm-apis is JavaScript; License: llmgateway is Other, awesome-free-llm-apis is CC0-1.0; 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: ai-gateway, 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 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.

### 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 awesome-free-llm-apis or llmgateway more popular on GitHub?

awesome-free-llm-apis has more GitHub stars (7,852 vs 1,624). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.

### Are awesome-free-llm-apis and llmgateway open source?

Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (awesome-free-llm-apis: CC0-1.0, llmgateway: Other).

### Where can I find alternatives to awesome-free-llm-apis or llmgateway?

GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [awesome-free-llm-apis alternatives](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/alternatives) and [llmgateway alternatives](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/alternatives) ([awesome-free-llm-apis markdown twin](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/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/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis-vs-theopenco-llmgateway.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.

### Which is better maintained, awesome-free-llm-apis or llmgateway?

awesome-free-llm-apis: 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 awesome-free-llm-apis and llmgateway?

GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [awesome-free-llm-apis trust report](/tools/mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis/trust); [llmgateway trust report](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/trust).

---

**Machine-readable endpoints**

- JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=mnfst-awesome-free-llm-apis)
- 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/_