What is LLM Gateway Comparison — Proxy Your AI Requests?

Compare top LLM gateway and proxy tools for routing AI requests. Covers LiteLLM, Bifrost, Portkey, and OpenRouter for cost optimization, failover, and multi-provider access.

Is LLM Gateway Comparison — Proxy Your AI Requests free to use?

Yes. LLM Gateway Comparison — Proxy Your AI Requests is freely available on TokRepo. Check the Source & Thanks section on the asset page for the specific open-source license.

How do I install LLM Gateway Comparison — Proxy Your AI Requests?

Visit the asset page on TokRepo and click "Copy for agent" to get the installation instructions. Most assets can be installed with a single command.

LLM Gateway Comparison — Proxy Your AI Requests

What are LLM Gateways?

LLM gateways are proxy servers that sit between your application and LLM providers. They provide a unified API, automatic failover, load balancing, caching, cost tracking, and access to 100+ models through one endpoint. Essential for production AI applications that need reliability and cost control.

Answer-Ready: LLM gateways proxy AI requests through a unified API. Top tools: LiteLLM (open-source, 200+ models), Bifrost (fastest, sub-100us), Portkey (enterprise), OpenRouter (pay-per-use marketplace). Provide failover, caching, cost tracking, and multi-provider routing.

Best for: Teams running AI in production needing reliability and cost control. Works with: Any LLM provider and AI coding tool.

Gateway Comparison

Feature Matrix

Feature	LiteLLM	Bifrost	Portkey	OpenRouter
Type	Open-source	Open-source	Enterprise	Marketplace
Models	200+	1000+	250+	300+
Overhead	~1ms	<100us	~2ms	~50ms
Failover	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Caching	Yes	Semantic	Yes	No
Cost tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Built-in
Load balancing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Automatic
Self-hosted	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Free tier	Unlimited (OSS)	Unlimited (OSS)	10K req/mo	Pay-per-use

When to Use Each

Gateway	Best For
LiteLLM	Teams wanting open-source flexibility with most provider support
Bifrost	High-throughput apps needing minimal latency overhead
Portkey	Enterprise teams needing compliance, guardrails, and analytics
OpenRouter	Indie developers wanting simple pay-per-use access to all models

Setup Examples

LiteLLM — Universal Proxy

from litellm import completion

# Same API for any provider
response = completion(
    model="anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}],
)
# Switch to: openai/gpt-4o, gemini/gemini-2.5-pro, etc.

Bifrost — Claude Code Integration

npx -y @maximhq/bifrost
claude mcp add --transport http bifrost http://localhost:8080/mcp

Portkey — With Guardrails

from portkey_ai import Portkey

client = Portkey(api_key="...", config={
    "retry": {"attempts": 3},
    "cache": {"mode": "semantic"},
    "guardrails": ["pii-filter", "toxicity-check"],
})

OpenRouter — Simple Access

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
    api_key="sk-or-...",
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}],
)

Cost Optimization Strategies

Strategy	How
Model routing	Simple tasks → cheap model, complex → premium
Caching	Cache identical/similar requests
Fallback chain	Primary fails → cheaper backup
Budget limits	Hard caps per project/user
Token tracking	Monitor and optimize token usage

FAQ

Q: Do I need a gateway? A: For production, yes. For prototyping, direct API calls are fine. Gateways add reliability, cost control, and flexibility.

Q: Can I use a gateway with Claude Code? A: Yes, LiteLLM and Bifrost both support Claude Code integration via MCP or API proxy.

Q: Which is cheapest? A: LiteLLM and Bifrost are free (open-source, self-hosted). OpenRouter charges a small markup on model pricing.