LiteLLM alternative

AIgateway: the best LiteLLM alternative in 2026

The best LiteLLM alternative in 2026 is AIgateway. LiteLLM is the open-source SDK and proxy you self-host; AIgateway is the same provider abstraction managed at the edge — 47ms p50 global overhead, zero YAML, unified billing, caching, evals, and replay baked in.

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Feature comparison

AIgateway vs LiteLLM

Side-by-side on the dimensions that move a production decision.

Feature

AIgateway

LiteLLM

You run infra

No — managed edge

Yes (self-host) or managed tier

Edge latency

47ms p50 globally

150ms+ self-hosted

Billing baked in

Yes — unified Stripe

DIY on OSS; limited on managed

Caching + evals + replay

Yes, first-class

Partial

YAML config

None

config.yaml model list

OpenAI-compatible

Yes

Feature comparison reflects public documentation as of 2026. LiteLLM pricing shape: Open source; managed tier available — pay for the instance.. Catalog: 100+ models via community adapters..

Migrate in 5 minutes

Three steps. One base URL.

If you're on LiteLLM through the OpenAI SDK, you're 90% of the way there. Change the base URL and the key.

STEP 01

Sign up for AIgateway

Create an account at aigateway.sh/signin and copy an sk-aig-... key from the dashboard.

STEP 02

Swap base URL + key

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.aigateway.sh/v1",
    api_key="sk-aig-...",
)

STEP 03

Ship

Request shape, response shape, streaming SSE — identical to OpenAI. Model slugs map 1:1 on shared providers. LiteLLM users typically migrate in under 5 minutes.

4 other alternatives

Other LiteLLM alternatives worth checking

Honest take: here are four other credible options. None ship the full multi-modal catalog + sub-accounts + evals under one key, but each has a legit wedge.

#2 — LLM router

OpenRouter

Text-LLM aggregator with ~300 model routes.

Closed source · ~300 text-only models.

Read the full OpenRouter comparison →

#3 — Governance gateway

Portkey

LLM gateway-as-a-service focused on governance and observability.

Partially open source · ~40 models, mostly text + some image.

Read the full Portkey comparison →

#4 — Observability proxy

Helicone

LLM observability proxy — strong at logging, not a routing layer.

Open source · Pass-through proxy — whatever providers you wire up.

Read the full Helicone comparison →

#5 — LLM router

Requesty

Cost-aware text-LLM router.

Closed source · ~50 text models.

Read the full Requesty comparison →

FAQ

Common questions about LiteLLM alternatives

Is LiteLLM open source?

Yes — LiteLLM is MIT-licensed and fully open source. AIgateway is closed-source but OpenAI-compatible.

Does LiteLLM charge markups?

LiteLLM is free OSS. Their managed tier charges an instance fee. AIgateway charges 5% at top-up, no instance fees.

Should I self-host LiteLLM or use AIgateway?

If you want control over config, compliance, and routing rules — self-host LiteLLM. If you want unified billing, managed caching, evals, and 47ms edge latency without ops — use AIgateway.

Does AIgateway support the same providers as LiteLLM?

Yes, plus every modality beyond text (video, music, voice, audio, embeddings) under one OpenAI-compatible schema.

Can I move from a self-hosted LiteLLM proxy to AIgateway in one step?

Change base_url from your LiteLLM proxy URL to https://api.aigateway.sh/v1 and swap the key. Model slugs map on shared providers; double-check bespoke aliases.

Is there a free tier?

Yes — 100 req/day on Kimi K2.6 with no card required.