Keywords AI
LiteLLM vs OpenRouter
Compare LiteLLM and OpenRouter side by side. Both are tools in the LLM Gateways category.
Quick Comparison
| Category | LLM Gateways | LLM Gateways |
| Pricing | Open Source | Usage-based |
| Best For | Engineering teams who want an open-source, self-hosted LLM proxy for provider management | Developers who want easy access to a wide variety of LLM models through a single API |
| Website | litellm.ai | openrouter.ai |
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When to Choose LiteLLM vs OpenRouter
- Self-hosted LLM gateway for data control
- Standardizing LLM access across teams
- Budget enforcement per team or project
- Accessing models not available through major providers
- Quick model prototyping and comparison
- Pay-per-use without provider commitments
About LiteLLM
LiteLLM is an open-source LLM proxy that translates OpenAI-format API calls to 100+ LLM providers. It provides a standardized interface for calling models from Anthropic, Google, Azure, AWS Bedrock, and dozens more. LiteLLM is popular as a self-hosted gateway with features like spend tracking, rate limiting, and team management.
About OpenRouter
OpenRouter is an API aggregator that provides access to dozens of LLM providers through a unified OpenAI-compatible API. It offers model routing, price comparison, and rate limit management. OpenRouter is popular with developers who want to quickly switch between models or access models not available through major providers. The platform supports pay-per-use pricing and passes through provider-specific features.
What is LLM Gateways?
Unified API platforms and proxies that aggregate multiple LLM providers behind a single endpoint, providing model routing, fallback, caching, rate limiting, cost optimization, and access control.
Browse all LLM Gateways tools →