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LLM Gateway & Routing · Head to head

LiteLLM vs OpenRouter

Both products compete in LLM Gateway & Routing. LLM gateway and routing software sits between your application and one or more AI model providers, handling request routing, API key management, rate limiting, cost tracking, semantic caching, and logging across multiple LLM backends from a single unified layer. Here are the facts the B4 Index maintains on each, side by side.

The two files, side by side

LiteLLM
OpenRouter
What it is
Open-source LLM proxy for unified API access across 100+ model providers
Unified API gateway routing to 500+ models across 60+ providers with automatic failover
Website
litellm.ai ↗
openrouter.ai ↗
Pricing
Open-source (free). Enterprise pricing custom.
Pay-as-you-go per token; free-tier models available
Categories served
LLM Gateway & Routing, Semantic Caching & LLM Cost-Routing Layer
Foundation Model APIs (LLM & Multimodal), LLM Gateway & Routing
Status
Active
Active · verified June 2026
The LiteLLM file → The OpenRouter file →

The decision underneath the comparison

Choosing between LiteLLM and OpenRouter assumes you're buying LLM Gateway & Routing at all. That's the prior question, and the B4 Index scores it on two axes: how much LLM Gateway & Routing differentiates you, and how far AI has come at building it. Read the build-versus-buy considerations for LLM Gateway & Routing before you shortlist either product.

Vendor facts are maintained independently of any B4 verdict and re-verified on a monthly liveness check. See the full methodology.