Ranked comparison

AI Gateway: One API for Every LLM

An AI gateway sits between your app and LLM providers. It gives you one endpoint, automatic failover, and cost controls - so a single provider outage doesn't take your product down.

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Credit-based pay-per-use with token-settled billing. No monthly subscription. Paid credits never expire.

Replace multiple AI subscriptions with one wallet that includes routing, failover, and optimization.

First success in 60 seconds

Step 01Sign up in 10 secondsGet 20 free credits Step 02Open your dashboardCreate API key Step 03Send first requestRun a sample

Why teams start here first

No monthly subscription

Pay-as-you-go credits

Start with trial credits, then buy only what you consume.

Failover safety

Production-ready routing

Auto fallback across providers when latency, quality, or reliability changes.

Data control

Your policy, your choice

BYOK and zero-retention mode keep training and storage scope explicit.

Single API experience

One key, multi-provider access

Use Chat/Compare/Blend/Judge/Failover from one dashboard.

Evaluation criteria

Latency overheadProvider coverageFailover and circuit breakingCost control and budgetingObservability and logging

LLMWiseLLMWise

The only gateway where you can test models side-by-side, blend their outputs, or let one model judge another - all as native API calls. Failover triggers within milliseconds when a provider degrades, and the auto-router picks the cheapest model that can handle each query without any configuration.

Compare, Blend, and Judge are first-class API operations, not afterthoughtsZero-latency heuristic routing classifies queries in microsecondsCredit-based pricing with reserve-and-settle billing - no surprise invoices

OpenRouterOpenRouter

The largest model marketplace with 300+ models behind one API. Simplest setup for teams that want breadth over depth. Adds a 5% markup on all requests, which adds up at scale.

Broadest model selection - 300+ models from 60+ providersNear-zero integration effort with OpenAI-compatible endpointActive community and transparent pricing per model

PortkeyPortkey

The enterprise pick for teams that need guardrails, semantic caching, and SOC 2 compliance. Open-sourced the core gateway in March 2026. Starts at $49/month for the managed platform.

Enterprise-grade guardrails and access controlsSemantic caching reduces redundant API callsNow open-source (Apache 2.0) for self-hosting the core

LiteLLMLiteLLM

The best option if you need full control and can self-host. Open-source Python proxy with 100+ provider integrations and zero markup. Requires DevOps resources to run and maintain.

Fully open-source with no per-request fees100+ provider integrations out of the boxMaximum customization for teams with infrastructure engineering capacity

HeliconeHelicone

Observability-first gateway built in Rust for raw speed. Best choice if your primary need is logging, cost tracking, and debugging rather than advanced routing logic.

Rust-based proxy with minimal latency overheadDetailed cost and latency analytics per requestOpen-source and free to self-host

Cloudflare AI GatewayCloudflare

Good if you are already in the Cloudflare ecosystem. Built-in rate limiting and caching at the edge. Less flexible for custom routing logic compared to purpose-built gateways.

Global edge network for low-latency routing worldwideNative rate limiting and response cachingFree tier available for low-volume usage

Evidence snapshot

AI Gateway: One API for Every LLM scoring method

Ranking evidence from practical criteria teams use for real production traffic.

Criteria

evaluation dimensions used

Models ranked

candidates evaluated

Top pick

LLMWise

current #1 recommendation

FAQ coverage

selection objections addressed

Our recommendation

For most teams shipping AI features, LLMWise is the fastest path to production-grade multi-model routing with automatic failover and cost optimization built in. If you need to self-host, LiteLLM is the best open-source option. If your priority is observability over routing, Helicone is a strong choice.

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Common questions

What is an AI gateway?

An AI gateway is a proxy layer between your application and LLM providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. It provides a single API endpoint, handles authentication across providers, manages failover when a provider goes down, and gives you cost and latency visibility. Think of it as a load balancer specifically designed for LLM APIs.

How does an AI gateway reduce costs?

Three main levers: (1) smart routing sends simple queries to cheaper models instead of always hitting the expensive flagship, (2) caching avoids redundant API calls for repeated prompts, and (3) failover prevents wasted tokens on requests that fail mid-stream. In practice, teams that route by complexity instead of using a single model for everything tend to save 25-40%.

What is the difference between an AI gateway and an LLM proxy?

An LLM proxy is a thin forwarding layer that translates between API formats. An AI gateway adds intelligence on top: routing decisions, failover logic, cost controls, and observability. LLMWise is a full gateway - it routes, fails over, optimizes costs, and lets you compare or blend outputs across models.

Do I need an AI gateway for production?

If you are calling a single LLM provider and can tolerate downtime when that provider has issues, you can skip a gateway. If you use multiple models, need failover, or want to optimize costs, a gateway pays for itself quickly. Most production AI apps hit the multi-provider stage within months of launch.

Can I bring my own API keys to an AI gateway?

Yes. LLMWise supports BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) - you can use your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google API keys while still getting LLMWise's routing, failover, and analytics. When you use BYOK, you pay the provider directly and skip LLMWise credit charges for those requests.

One wallet, enterprise AI controls built in

Credit-based pay-per-use with token-settled billing. No monthly subscription. Paid credits never expire.

Replace multiple AI subscriptions with one wallet that includes routing, failover, and optimization.

Chat, Compare, Blend, Judge, MeshPolicy routing + replay labFailover without extra subscriptions

Start free with 20 credits See pricing examples

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LLM Gateway: Route to Any Model from One Endpoint LLM Router: Intelligent Model Selection for Every Request LLM API: One Integration, Every Major Model LLM Proxy: One Endpoint, Every AI Provider LLM Orchestration: Build Multi-Model AI Pipelines Generic LLM Gateways