Head-to-head comparison
PortkeyvsLiteLLM
Portkey and LiteLLM both put a gateway between your app and the model providers, giving you one API, fallbacks, and spend tracking. LiteLLM is open source and self-hosted with a huge provider list and strong budget controls. Portkey is a hosted platform that adds guardrails, PII checks, prompt management, and observability on top of routing.
At a glance
| Portkey | LiteLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Function | AI gateway | LLM gateway |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free developer tier; Pro from $49/mo | Free open source; Enterprise support plans |
| Released | August 2023 | July 2023 |
Portkey
Pros
- Guardrails and observability in the same hop as routing
- Hosted option means no infrastructure
- Good enterprise controls
Cons
- Another vendor in the request path
- Pro pricing adds up alongside model spend
- Overlaps with observability tools you may already run
LiteLLM
Pros
- Self-hosted — your keys and logs stay with you
- Budgets and virtual keys solve real team governance problems
- Huge provider coverage
Cons
- You run and upgrade it; releases are frequent
- Provider quirks leak through the abstraction sometimes
- Enterprise features are paid
Which one should you pick?
Pick Portkey if
You want a hosted gateway with no infrastructure to run, need guardrails or PII filtering in the request path, or want prompt versioning and analytics in one place.
See Portkey details →Pick LiteLLM if
You must keep keys and logs inside your own network, want zero licence cost, or need the widest provider coverage with per-team virtual keys and budgets.
See LiteLLM details →Bottom line
LiteLLM for self-hosted control and cost. Portkey for a managed platform with safety and observability built in. Regulated companies often run LiteLLM; product teams that want less ops often pick Portkey.