LLM gateways and routers: 4 tools compared
Proxies that put many LLM APIs behind one endpoint, with routing, fallbacks, caching and spend limits. Listed by name. A starting price is the vendor's own, as checked on the date shown; it is not monitored.
Hosted proxy on Cloudflare's network between an application and AI model providers. It adds analytics, logging, caching, rate limiting, retries, fallbacks and spend limits, reached through provider-specific endpoints or an OpenAI-compatible unified endpoint.
Free tierWorks with 15 of the LLM providers we trackOpen-source AI gateway and LLM observability platform. Applications route requests through its OpenAI-compatible gateway or provider-specific proxy URLs, and Helicone logs requests, cost and latency and handles provider routing and fallbacks.
Open sourceSelf-hostableFree tierfrom $79.00 per monthchecked Nov 8, 2026
Works with 15 of the LLM providers we trackOpen-source Python SDK and self-hosted proxy server that lets applications call many LLM providers through one OpenAI-compatible API. Teams run the proxy as a shared gateway with virtual keys, budgets, spend tracking, routing, fallbacks and guardrails.
Open sourceSelf-hostableFree tierWorks with 15 of the LLM providers we trackAI gateway that routes requests to many LLM providers through one API, with retries, fallbacks, load balancing, conditional routing and guardrails. The gateway is open source and can be self-hosted; the hosted platform adds logging, observability and prompt management.
Open sourceSelf-hostableFree tierfrom $49.00 per monthchecked Nov 8, 2026
Works with 15 of the LLM providers we track
| Tool | Pricing model | Free tier | Self-hostable | Open source | Starting price | Works with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cloudflare AI GatewayHosted proxy on Cloudflare's network between an application and AI model providers. It adds analytics, logging, caching, rate limiting, retries, fallbacks and spend limits, reached through provider-specific endpoints or an OpenAI-compatible unified endpoint. | Usage-based | Yes | No | No | — | 15 of the LLM providers we track |
 HeliconeOpen-source AI gateway and LLM observability platform. Applications route requests through its OpenAI-compatible gateway or provider-specific proxy URLs, and Helicone logs requests, cost and latency and handles provider routing and fallbacks. | Free tier and paid plans | Yes | Yes | Yes (Apache-2.0) | from $79.00 per monthchecked Nov 8, 2026 | 15 of the LLM providers we track |
 LiteLLMOpen-source Python SDK and self-hosted proxy server that lets applications call many LLM providers through one OpenAI-compatible API. Teams run the proxy as a shared gateway with virtual keys, budgets, spend tracking, routing, fallbacks and guardrails. | Free tier and paid plans | Yes | Yes | Yes (MIT) | — | 15 of the LLM providers we track |
 PortkeyAI gateway that routes requests to many LLM providers through one API, with retries, fallbacks, load balancing, conditional routing and guardrails. The gateway is open source and can be self-hosted; the hosted platform adds logging, observability and prompt management. | Free tier and paid plans | Yes | Yes | Yes (MIT) | from $49.00 per monthchecked Nov 8, 2026 | 15 of the LLM providers we track |
