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Pick 2–5 published tools. Values come from our evidence-checked profiles — an em-dash means unknown, never “no”. Ranking rows reflect the current published methodology for the comparison context.
LiteLLM vs OpenRouter
Context: LLM Gateways & Model Routing Platforms · 24 rows
| Attribute | LiteLLMBerriAI | OpenRouterOpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Identity · Taxonomy | ||
| Documentation | https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/ | https://openrouter.ai/docs/quickstart.md |
| Tags | llm-gateway, proxy, open-source, routing | llm-gateway, model-routing, api-aggregator, pay-as-you-go |
| Platform · Deployment | ||
| Delivery model | self-hosted | SaaS |
| Pricing · Licensing | ||
| Free plan | true | true |
| Free trial | true | — |
| License model | open-source | — |
| Pricing model | free, custom | usage |
| Source repository | https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm | — |
| SPDX license IDs | MIT | — |
| Trial length | 30 | — |
| Features · Product · Fit | ||
| Core capabilities | Unified OpenAI-compatible API to 140+ LLM providers, Virtual keys with per-key, team, and org budgets, Auto routing, load balancing, and caching, Guardrails including PII masking and prompt injection protection, Usage analytics, spend tracking, and chargeback, Unified access for LLMs, agents, and MCP servers | Unified API for hundreds of LLMs, Routing with fallbacks across providers, Cost tracking with no inference markup, BYOK with a free monthly allowance, Image, video, and speech APIs, Workspaces with SSO and budgets |
| Api · Integrations · Ecosystem | ||
| API available | true | true |
| CLI | true | — |
| Enterprise SSO | OIDC | — |
| Support · Docs · Services | ||
| Support channels | community, enterprise support | — |
| Audience · Use · Case | ||
| Best for | Platform and engineering teams that want to self-host one OpenAI-compatible gateway in front of many LLM providers, with budgets, routing, and guardrails. | Developers and teams that want a single API to hundreds of models across providers, with per-token pricing, fallbacks, and centralized billing. |
| Company-size fit | mid-market, enterprise | individual, SMB, mid-market, enterprise |
| Primary use cases | Central LLM gateway for AI applications, Spend tracking and chargeback across teams, Model routing and load balancing | Multi-provider model access for AI applications, LLM spend management, Provider failover and routing |
| Skill level | advanced | — |
| Lifecycle · Versioning | ||
| Changelog/release notes | https://docs.litellm.ai/release_notes | — |
| Current version | v1.100.0 | — |
| Maintenance status | active | active |
| Vendor · Maintainer | ||
| Headquarters country | — | United States |
| Vendor type | commercial | commercial |
“—” means unknown (we never treat missing evidence as a negative). Cells reflect each value's current evidence state; superseded or stale values are excluded. Ranking rows are editorial assessments under the cited methodology version — see the LLM Gateways & Model Routing Platforms category for definitions.