LiteLLMFreemium
An open-source LLM gateway that gives you one consistent API and proxy across 100+ model providers, with key management and spend tracking.
AI Infrastructure comparison
LiteLLM vs Portkey
Pricing, pros, cons, and ideal use cases — side by side.
PortkeyFreemium
An AI gateway that adds routing, caching, observability, and guardrails to LLM traffic through a single control plane.
At a glance
| LiteLLM | Portkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | FreemiumOpen-source and free to self-host. A paid enterprise edition adds SSO, audit logs, and support. | FreemiumFree developer tier. Paid Pro and Enterprise plans add volume, self-hosting, and governance. |
| Category | AI Infrastructure | AI Infrastructure |
| Ideal for | Teams using multiple model providersPlatform teams centralizing LLM access and spendEnterprises wanting provider portability | Enterprises standardizing LLM access across teamsPlatform teams needing routing and failoverOrgs wanting cost and reliability controls in one place |
Pros & cons
LiteLLM
Pros
- One consistent API across 100+ providers
- Proxy adds key management, budgets, and spend logging
- Avoids provider lock-in
- Lightweight to adopt
Cons
- Self-hosting the proxy is your operational burden
- A gateway is one more hop to monitor
- Advanced governance features are in the paid edition
Portkey
Pros
- Routing, failover, and caching out of the box
- Built-in observability and cost analytics
- Guardrails enforced at the gateway
- Managed or self-hosted
Cons
- Another vendor in the critical request path
- Overlaps with observability tools you may already run
- Full governance features need a paid plan
Which should you choose?
LiteLLM is built around teams using multiple model providers; Portkey leans more toward enterprises standardizing llm access across teams. Shortlist the one whose strengths line up with your biggest constraint.