--- title: "llmgateway vs catai" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/theopenco-llmgateway-vs-withcatai-catai" tools: ["theopenco-llmgateway", "withcatai-catai"] --- # llmgateway vs catai *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict 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; pick catai if catai, an AI assistant framework built for local deployment with Node.js, offers developers using TypeScript the ability to create and deploy AI agents through a. [llmgateway](https://llmgateway.io) reports 1.6k GitHub stars, 181 forks, and 77 open issues, last pushed Sep 11, 2026. [catai](https://withcatai.github.io/catai/) has 500 stars, 39 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Nov 16, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [llmgateway's repository](https://github.com/theopenco/llmgateway) and [catai's repository](https://github.com/withcatai/catai). | | [llmgateway](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway.md) | [catai](/tools/withcatai-catai.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Route and manage LLM requests via unified API interface | Run AI assistant locally with Node.js | | Stars | 1,624 | 500 | | Forks | 181 | 39 | | Open issues | 77 | 2 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | 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. | catai, an AI assistant framework built for local deployment with Node.js, offers developers using TypeScript the ability to create and deploy AI agents through a simple API. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Dual licensed: Open Source (Core - AGPLv3), Enterprise (Commercial Features - requires Enterprise license) | MIT | | Categories | Inference & Serving | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [llmgateway](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway.md) | [catai](/tools/withcatai-catai.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 0d | 307d | | Open issues (now) | 77 | 2 | | Stars delta | +106 (30d) | +2 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +12 (30d) | 0 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/withcatai-catai/trust.md) | ## 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) ## Decision facts: catai - **Adopt for:** catai, an AI assistant framework built for local deployment with Node.js, offers developers using TypeScript the ability to create and deploy AI agents through a simple API. ## Choose when ### Choose llmgateway if… - License: llmgateway is Other, catai is MIT. - 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. ### Choose catai if… - License: catai is MIT, llmgateway is Other. - Tags unique to catai: ai-assistant, chatbot, ggmlv3, llama-cpp. - Also covers AI Agents. - - When aiming to deploy a local AI assistant without reliance on cloud-based services; catai is ideal due to its focus on node-llama-cpp integration, allowing for robust offline capabilities. ## 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. ## When NOT to use catai - - For environments that strictly prohibit or limit Node.js operations on the server side, as catai is engineered to run locally via Node.js only. - - If seeking a cloud-based AI deployment solution that does not require local setup, since catai focuses solely on providing local AI capabilities through an easy-to-use API. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between llmgateway and catai? llmgateway: Route and manage LLM requests via unified API interface. catai: Run AI assistant locally with Node.js. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose llmgateway over catai? Choose llmgateway over catai when License: llmgateway is Other, catai is MIT; 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 choose catai over llmgateway? Choose catai over llmgateway when License: catai is MIT, llmgateway is Other; Tags unique to catai: ai-assistant, chatbot, ggmlv3, llama-cpp; Also covers AI Agents; - When aiming to deploy a local AI assistant without reliance on cloud-based services; catai is ideal due to its focus on node-llama-cpp integration, allowing for robust offline capabilities. ### 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. ### When should I avoid catai? - For environments that strictly prohibit or limit Node.js operations on the server side, as catai is engineered to run locally via Node.js only. - If seeking a cloud-based AI deployment solution that does not require local setup, since catai focuses solely on providing local AI capabilities through an easy-to-use API. ### Is llmgateway or catai more popular on GitHub? llmgateway has more GitHub stars (1,624 vs 500). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are llmgateway and catai open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (llmgateway: Other, catai: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to llmgateway or catai? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [llmgateway alternatives](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/alternatives) and [catai alternatives](/tools/withcatai-catai/alternatives) ([llmgateway markdown twin](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/alternatives.md), [catai markdown twin](/tools/withcatai-catai/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/theopenco-llmgateway-vs-withcatai-catai.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, llmgateway or catai? llmgateway: Very active. catai: Slowing. 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 llmgateway and catai? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [llmgateway trust report](/tools/theopenco-llmgateway/trust); [catai trust report](/tools/withcatai-catai/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=theopenco-llmgateway`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=theopenco-llmgateway) - 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/_