Calling LLM providers directly works until it doesn't. The moment you're managing multiple API keys, tracking costs across providers, or scrambling during a provider outage, you need a gateway.
But not all AI gateways are created equal. Some are pure proxies. Some lock you into their ecosystem. Some charge you for features that should be free.
We evaluated eight AI gateways on what actually matters: provider coverage, pricing transparency, self-hosting, observability, and how fast you can get started.
1. LLM Gateway
Best overall. Open source. Self-hostable.
