The Open Vercel AI Gateway Alternative

Compare LLM Gateway's open-source, self-hostable platform — with zero token markup, image and video generation, and Enterprise guardrails — against Vercel AI Gateway's managed, AI SDK-native service.

Open-Source CoreSelf-HostableZero Token MarkupSelf-Hosting Option
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The open Vercel AI Gateway alternative

Compare LLM Gateway and Vercel AI Gateway features side by side

Why choose LLM Gateway?

Open-source core — self-host the gateway, dashboard and worker
Self-hosting option — operate the gateway inside your own infrastructure
Image & video generation with Enterprise content guardrails
Zero markup on tokens — like Vercel — plus a flat 5% or 0% with your own keys

LLM Gateway

OPEN-SOURCE & PORTABLE

From $0

Free core; hosting costs separate

Vercel AI Gateway

MANAGED, AI SDK-NATIVE

Usage-based

Free credit, then prepaid credits

Managed cloud

Fully managed, production-ready hosted service

Self-host the platform

Run the core on your infrastructure; Enterprise terms differ

AGPLv3

Open-source license

What ships under an open-source license

Core (AGPLv3); Enterprise commercial

Works across application hosts

Use it without committing to one host or framework

Yes; Vercel account required

Automatic provider scoring

Routes on live uptime, throughput, price, and latency

Cost/latency/throughput

Failover & retries

Transparent retry on a healthy provider

Load balancing

Spread traffic across providers for a model

Response caching

Built-in caching for repeated requests

Redis, 10s–1yr TTL
Provider prompt caching

Bring your own keys

Use your own provider keys

0% markup
0% (paid tier)

Token markup

Extra charged on top of provider token rates

None
None

Transparent platform fee

Predictable, easy-to-reason-about pricing

5% or 0% (BYOK)
0% on tokens; metered add-ons

Free to start

Get going without a paid plan

Free self-host
Monthly free credit, subset of models

Model coverage

Models and providers available through one API

See live model catalog
See Vercel catalog

Image & video generation

Generative media through the same API

Content guardrails

Content checks; coverage and pricing vary by product

Enterprise
Not documented as a gateway feature

AI SDK integration

First-class Vercel AI SDK provider

@llmgateway/ai-sdk-provider
Default provider

API compatibility

Drop-in compatibility with existing clients

OpenAI-compatible
OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenResponses

OpenTelemetry trace export

Forward traces into an existing observability stack

Trace Drains: events + egress

No credit card required • Self-host option available • Enterprise support available

FAQ

LLM Gateway vs Vercel AI Gateway

Common questions about choosing LLM Gateway over Vercel AI Gateway.

Can't find an answer? Contact us

No. Vercel AI Gateway works from other hosts using an API key and supports the AI SDK plus OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible interfaces. LLM Gateway also works across hosts. The deployment difference is that LLM Gateway has a self-hostable core, while Vercel operates its gateway as a managed service.