Best LLM Gateway Software in 2026

In short: Bifrost is ranked #1 of 33 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of Kong Gateway and YoloRouter. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Kong Gateway. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Requesty at $5/mo.

An LLM gateway can provide a shared layer for connecting applications with language-model providers. Compare provider count and deployment choices, including self-hosting, then weigh fallback routing, budget controls, usage analytics and virtual API keys. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing give cost context. Bifrost, Kong Gateway and YoloRouter are among the options shown. Consider how the listed routing and administration capabilities fit your workflow, and whether the provider access and usage visibility on offer match what you need to manage.

33 LLM gateway software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.

33ranked
14free plans on this page
$5/molowest paid tier
7 Oct 2026last checked
Input list LLM Gateway Software 25 channels on this page · 120 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromProvider countFallback routingUsage analyticsSelf-hosted deploymentBudget controlsVirtual API keys Spec sheet Score
01 Bifrost Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.7
02 Kong Gateway Free planNoPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.6
03 YoloRouter Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.4
04 Requesty Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider count20Fallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentNoBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.3
05 TrueFoundry AI Gateway Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.3
06 Helicone Free planYesPaid from$79/moProvider countnot statedFallback routingnot statedUsage analyticsnot statedSelf-hosted deploymentnot statedBudget controlsnot statedVirtual API keysnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.2
07 LiteLLM Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.2
08 Routerly Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.2
09 Vercel Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingnot statedUsage analyticsnot statedSelf-hosted deploymentnot statedBudget controlsnot statedVirtual API keysnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.2
10 LangSmith Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingnot statedUsage analyticsnot statedSelf-hosted deploymentnot statedBudget controlsnot statedVirtual API keysnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.9
11 Manifest Free planYesPaid from$19/moProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.9
12 Tyk AI Studio Proxy Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.9
13 OpenRouter Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider count80Fallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentNoBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.8
14 TensorZero Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.6
15 Apache APISIX Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingnot statedUsage analyticsnot statedSelf-hosted deploymentnot statedBudget controlsnot statedVirtual API keysnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.5
16 Prisma AIRS AI Gateway Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingnot statedUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 4/8spec lines stated 6.4
17 Martian Gateway Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingnot statedUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentnot statedBudget controlsnot statedVirtual API keysnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.3
18 OpenZiti LLM Gateway Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 5/8spec lines stated 6.2
19 WSO2 AI Gateway Free planNoPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.2
20 Cloudflare AI Gateway Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentnot statedBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
21 Inference Gateway Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingNoUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsnot statedVirtual API keysnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
22 Kong AI Gateway Free planNoPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.0
23 Cortecs Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedProvider count10Fallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentnot statedBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.8
24 Eden AI Free planNoPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentNoBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 5.8
25 LLM Gateway Free planYesPaid fromnot statedProvider countnot statedFallback routingYesUsage analyticsYesSelf-hosted deploymentYesBudget controlsYesVirtual API keysYes 6/8spec lines stated 5.8
Compare all 25 in a table
#ToolScoreFree planFromFree planPaid fromProvider countFallback routing
1Bifrost7.7Free planFreeYes——Yes
2Kong Gateway7.6Free planFreeNo——Yes
3YoloRouter7.4Free planFreeYes——Yes
4Requesty7.3Free plan$5/moYes—20Yes
5TrueFoundry AI Gateway7.3Free plan$25/moYes——Yes
6Helicone7.2Free plan$79/moYes79 /mo——
7LiteLLM7.2Free planFreeYes——Yes
8Routerly7.2Free planFreeYes——Yes
9Vercel7.2Free plan$20/moYes———
10LangSmith6.9Free plan$39/moYes———
11Manifest6.9Free plan$19/moYes19 /mo—Yes
12Tyk AI Studio Proxy6.9Free planFreeYes——Yes
13OpenRouter6.8Free planFreeYes—80Yes
14TensorZero6.6No—Yes——Yes
15Apache APISIX6.5No—Yes———
16Prisma AIRS AI Gateway6.4No—————
17Martian Gateway6.3No—————
18OpenZiti LLM Gateway6.2No————Yes
19WSO2 AI Gateway6.2No—No——Yes
20Cloudflare AI Gateway6.0No—Yes——Yes
21Inference Gateway6.0No—Yes——No
22Kong AI Gateway6.0No—No——Yes
23Cortecs5.8No———10Yes
24Eden AI5.8No—No——Yes
25LLM Gateway5.8Free planFreeYes——Yes

Is your tool on this list?

Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.

Questions about this list

Which LLM gateway software is ranked first on Specifiction?

Bifrost is ranked #1 of 33 with a score of 7.7. Kong Gateway is second and YoloRouter third.

How many of these have a free plan?

14 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

Which is the cheapest paid option?

On this page, Requesty has the lowest first paid tier we found: $5/mo.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.

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