LiteLLM vs Portkey: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between LiteLLM and Portkey? Both are popular ai gateways & llm proxies tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Quick verdict
Both LiteLLM and Portkey are strong ai gateways & llm proxies choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences.
LiteLLM vs Portkey — Side by Side
| LiteLLM | Portkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies |
| Pricing | Free · paid plans by quote | Free · paid from $49/mo |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Rating | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Best for | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies — llm-proxy, open-source | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies — llm-routing, observability |
Pros & Cons
- Free and open source (MIT)
- No third party in your request path
- Per-team keys and budgets
- You run, secure and upgrade it
- Needs Postgres for keys and spend tracking
- SSO and audit logs are Enterprise-only
- Gateway and observability in one product
- Open-source gateway you can self-host
- Guardrails and semantic caching
- Free plan keeps logs for only 3 days
- Log-based pricing grows with traffic
- Private deployment is Enterprise-only
Key Features Compared
LiteLLM
- Proxy server and SDK
- Virtual keys, budgets, rate limits
- Fallbacks and load balancing
Portkey
- 100K recorded logs / month
- Semantic caching
- RBAC and alerts
- 30-day log retention
Choose LiteLLM if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- Free and open source (MIT)
- No third party in your request path
- Per-team keys and budgets
Choose Portkey if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- Gateway and observability in one product
- Open-source gateway you can self-host
- Guardrails and semantic caching
Frequently Asked Questions
Is LiteLLM better than Portkey?⌄
Both LiteLLM and Portkey are strong ai gateways & llm proxies choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences.
What is the difference between LiteLLM and Portkey?⌄
LiteLLM — Open-source LLM proxy and Python SDK: one OpenAI-style API for 100+ providers, with virtual keys, budgets and fallbacks you host yourself. Portkey — AI gateway with built-in observability: route to any model with fallbacks, caching and guardrails, then trace every request. Both are ai gateways & llm proxies tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
LiteLLM vs Portkey: which is cheaper?⌄
LiteLLM pricing: Free · paid plans by quote. Portkey pricing: Free · paid from $49/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, LiteLLM or Portkey?⌄
In our catalog, LiteLLM rates 4.6 out of 5 and Portkey rates 4.5 out of 5, so LiteLLM has a slight edge on reviews.
See more options in our guide to the best ai gateways & llm proxies tools for startups.
In-depth guideOpenRouter vs LiteLLM (2026): Hosted AI Gateway vs Open-Source LLM ProxyOpenRouter is a hosted service: one key, 500+ models, a 5.5% fee on credits. LiteLLM is MIT-licensed software you run yourself, with virtual keys and budgets per team. How each works, what the gateway costs at three spend levels, and why this site runs on OpenRouter.Still not sure which to pick?
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