LiteLLM vs OpenRouter

Pick two tools from the same category to compare side-by-side.

	LiteLLM Open-source LLM gateway exposing 100+ providers through a single OpenAI-compatible API, as a Python SDK or proxy server.	OpenRouter Unified API across 300+ LLMs from many providers; one API key.
Category	routing	routing
Vendor type	hybrid	commercial
Pricing	freemium	usage
Strengths	+ Single OpenAI-compatible interface across 100+ LLM providers + Built-in retry and fallback logic across model deployments + Per-key, per-user, and per-project spend tracking and budgets + Usable as a lightweight Python SDK or a deployable proxy/gateway	+ Single API for hundreds of models + Easy A/B model swaps + Pay-as-you-go billing
Tradeoffs	− Fast-moving release cadence; practitioners report regressions and breaking changes − Running the proxy adds an extra operational service in the request path − Some features (e.g. SSO) are gated behind the enterprise license	− Pricing markup vs direct provider
Used in stacks	0	0