---
title: "Cloudflare AI Gateway Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)"
description: "Cloudflare AI Gateway review: AI Gateways & LLM Proxies tool — Free tier, plans, pros & cons, and the best Cloudflare AI Gateway alternatives compared for startups in 2026."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cloudflare-ai-gateway
retrieved: 2026-10-14
---

![Cloudflare AI Gateway logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=cloudflare.com&sz=128)

[AI Gateways & LLM Proxies](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/ai-gateway)Free tier

# Cloudflare AI Gateway: Pricing, Features & Alternatives

Cloudflare AI Gateway sits between your app and model providers on Cloudflare's edge. Analytics, caching and rate limiting are free on every plan; you change the base URL and keep your provider keys. Gateways created after Sep 24 2026 store logs under Workers Logs pricing (older gateways keep 100,000 logs on Workers Free and 10 million per gateway on Workers Paid). Guardrails are billed as Workers AI inference. Unified Billing lets you pay providers through Cloudflare for a 5% fee on credits, with no markup on inference.

Category

AI Gateways & LLM Proxies

Pricing

Free tier available

Free tier

Yes

Best for

AI Gateways & LLM Proxies — caching, rate-limiting

[Visit Cloudflare AI Gateway official site](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ai-gateway/)

## Cloudflare AI Gateway Pricing Plans (2026)

| Plan            | Price                     | Highlights                                                                              |
| --------------- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| FreePopular     | $0                        | Analytics, caching and rate limiting · Works with your own provider keys · DLP scanning |
| Workers Paid    | $5 / month (Workers Paid) | Larger log allowance · Logpush (10M requests included)                                  |
| Unified Billing | 5% fee on credits         | Pay model providers through Cloudflare · No markup on inference                         |

Pricing summary: Free · paid from $5/mo. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

## Key Cloudflare AI Gateway Features

* ✓Analytics, caching and rate limiting
* ✓Works with your own provider keys
* ✓DLP scanning

### ✓ Pros

* +Core features are free
* +Runs on Cloudflare's global edge
* +Nothing to host

### ✗ Cons

* −No per-team virtual keys or budgets like LiteLLM
* −Log pricing changed for gateways made after Sep 24 2026
* −Guardrails billed as extra inference

## Best Cloudflare AI Gateway Alternatives

[Compare all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/cloudflare-ai-gateway)

[![LiteLLM logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=litellm.ai&sz=128)LiteLLMFree · paid plans by quote](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/litellm)[![Helicone logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=helicone.ai&sz=128)HeliconeFree · paid from $79/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/helicone)[![Portkey logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=portkey.ai&sz=128)PortkeyFree · paid from $49/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/portkey)

## Cloudflare AI Gateway Compared

[Cloudflare AI Gateway vs LiteLLM](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-litellm)[Cloudflare AI Gateway vs Helicone](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-helicone)[Cloudflare AI Gateway vs Portkey](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-portkey)

[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.](https://appstackbuilder.com/blog/openrouter-vs-litellm-2026)

## Cloudflare AI Gateway FAQ

What is Cloudflare AI Gateway used for?⌄

Cloudflare AI Gateway is a ai gateways & llm proxies tool. Free AI gateway on Cloudflare's network: analytics, caching, rate limiting and fallbacks in front of any model provider.

Is Cloudflare AI Gateway free?⌄

Yes — Cloudflare AI Gateway has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.

How much does Cloudflare AI Gateway cost?⌄

Cloudflare AI Gateway offers a free tier, with paid plans starting at $5/month. Some plans are usage-based (pay-as-you-go).

What are the best Cloudflare AI Gateway alternatives?⌄

Popular Cloudflare AI Gateway alternatives include LiteLLM, Helicone, Portkey. Compare pricing and features on our Cloudflare AI Gateway alternatives page.

## Not sure if Cloudflare AI Gateway fits your stack?

Get a free, AI-powered tech stack tailored to your budget, app type, and team size — including the best ai gateways & llm proxies pick for you.

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