---
id: blog-llm-gateway-vs-openrouter
slug: llm-gateway-vs-openrouter
date: 2026-04-11
title: "LLM Gateway vs OpenRouter: An Honest Comparison"
summary: "A straightforward comparison of LLM Gateway and OpenRouter — features, pricing, and trade-offs — so you can pick the right one for your stack."
categories: ["Guides"]
image:
  src: "/blog/llm-gateway-vs-openrouter.png"
  alt: "LLM Gateway vs OpenRouter: An Honest Comparison"
  width: 1024
  height: 1024
---

LLM Gateway and OpenRouter solve the same core problem: give developers a single API to access multiple LLM providers. But they solve it differently, with different trade-offs.

This is an honest comparison. We built LLM Gateway, so we're biased — but we'll tell you where OpenRouter is the better choice too.

## The Quick Version

| Feature               | LLM Gateway                                           | OpenRouter                          |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| Models                | 200+ models, 40+ providers                            | 400+ models, 70+ providers          |
| API compatibility     | OpenAI-compatible                                     | OpenAI-compatible                   |
| Self-hosting          | Yes (AGPLv3, Docker)                                  | No                                  |
| Bring Your Own Keys   | Yes (zero gateway markup)                             | Yes (1M free, then 5%)              |
| Smart routing         | Weighted scoring (uptime, throughput, price, latency) | Provider-based routing              |
| Auto retry & failover | Yes (up to 2 retries, transparent)                    | Yes                                 |
| Response caching      | Yes (configurable TTL, 10s to 1 year)                 | Yes (beta)                          |
| Guardrails            | Yes (prompt injection, PII, jailbreak, secrets)       | Enterprise                          |
| Audit logs            | Yes (90-day retention)                                | Limited                             |
| Team management       | Yes (roles, permissions)                              | Yes                                 |
| Image generation      | Yes (Gemini, DALL-E, Qwen, Seedream, CogView)         | Yes                                 |
| Video generation      | Yes (Veo 3.1, multiple providers)                     | Limited                             |
| AI SDK provider       | Yes (`@llmgateway/ai-sdk-provider`)                   | Yes (`@openrouter/ai-sdk-provider`) |
| Pricing model         | 5% platform fee or BYOK (0% fee)                      | 5.5% credit fee (no token markup)   |
| Free tier             | Yes (3 free models, 20 req/min)                       | Yes (limited free models)           |

## Where LLM Gateway Wins

### Self-Hosting

LLM Gateway is open source (AGPLv3). You can run the entire platform — UI, API, gateway, docs — on your own infrastructure with a single Docker command:

```bash
docker run -d \
  --name llmgateway \
  -p 3002:3002 -p 4001:4001 -p 4002:4002 \
  -e AUTH_SECRET="your-secret" \
  -e GATEWAY_API_KEY_HASH_SECRET="your-hash-secret" \
  ghcr.io/theopenco/llmgateway-unified:latest
```

Your data never leaves your infrastructure. Your requests never pass through a third party. For enterprises with data residency requirements or regulated industries, this is a non-negotiable.

OpenRouter is cloud-only. No self-hosting option.

### Bring Your Own Keys (BYOK)

With LLM Gateway, you can add your own provider API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.) and route requests directly through your accounts. When using your own keys, there is zero gateway markup — you pay only the provider's standard rates.

This matters for teams that already have provider contracts, volume discounts, or enterprise agreements.

OpenRouter does support BYOK — but it adds a 5% fee on usage above 1M requests per month. With LLM Gateway, BYOK always carries zero gateway markup.

### Smart Routing Algorithm

LLM Gateway's routing is data-driven. When you request a model without specifying a provider, the gateway scores all available providers using a weighted algorithm based on the last 5 minutes of real metrics:

- **Uptime (50%)** — Prioritizes reliable providers
- **Throughput (20%)** — Favors faster generation speed
- **Price (20%)** — Considers cost efficiency
- **Latency (10%)** — Time to first token (streaming only)

Providers below 95% uptime receive an exponential penalty. At 80% uptime, the penalty is ~0.62. At 50%, it's ~5.61. Unreliable providers are aggressively deprioritized.

The system also uses epsilon-greedy exploration (1% of requests) to test underutilized providers and adapt to changing conditions.

Every routing decision is logged with full metadata: which providers were considered, their scores, and why the winner was selected. Complete transparency.

### Response Caching

LLM Gateway caches identical requests in Redis. Cache TTL is configurable from 10 seconds to 1 year per project.

Cached responses are free — no provider costs. For applications with repetitive requests (FAQ bots, classification tasks, development/testing), this can reduce costs by 50–99%.

Caching works with both streaming and non-streaming requests. Cached streaming responses are reconstructed and streamed back normally.

OpenRouter has since added response caching (in beta), and it passes through provider-side prompt caching. LLM Gateway's caching is generally available, works across every provider, and lets you tune the TTL from 10 seconds to a year.

### Enterprise Features

LLM Gateway includes features that matter for teams and organizations:

- **Guardrails** — Prompt injection detection, jailbreak prevention, PII detection, secrets detection, custom rules. Configurable per rule: block, redact, or warn.
- **Audit logs** — Every organization action tracked with who, what, when, and which resource. 90-day retention.
- **Team management** — Roles and permissions. Control who can create API keys, manage billing, or configure settings.
- **Security events dashboard** — Monitor guardrail violations with breakdowns by category and action.

These features are on the Enterprise plan. OpenRouter has added enterprise guardrails and workspace spend controls more recently, but they're newer and scoped to its Enterprise tier.

### Video Generation

LLM Gateway supports asynchronous video generation through Veo 3.1 with multiple providers and resolutions up to 4K. Signed webhooks notify your application when videos are ready.

OpenRouter's generative-media support is newer and more limited; LLM Gateway has routed video models in production for months.

## Where OpenRouter Wins

### Simplicity for Casual Use

OpenRouter is simpler to get started with if you just want to try different models. Sign up, get a key, make requests. No organization setup, no project creation.

If you're a solo developer experimenting with different models and don't need routing optimization, caching, or team features, OpenRouter's streamlined experience is an advantage.

### Community and Ecosystem

OpenRouter has been around longer and has a larger community. More tutorials, more forum posts, more Stack Overflow answers reference it. If you're looking for community support, OpenRouter has a head start.

### Model Availability Speed

Both platforms add new models quickly, but OpenRouter sometimes has niche or community-hosted models available before other gateways.

## Migration Is Trivial

If you're currently on OpenRouter and want to try LLM Gateway, migration is a two-line change:

```diff
- const baseURL = "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1";
- const apiKey = process.env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY;
+ const baseURL = "https://api.llmgateway.io/v1";
+ const apiKey = process.env.LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY;
```

Most model names are directly compatible. Some provider prefixes differ slightly:

| OpenRouter                      | LLM Gateway                                                           |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `openai/gpt-5.2`                | `gpt-5.2` or `openai/gpt-5.2`                                         |
| `gemini/gemini-3-flash-preview` | `gemini-3-flash-preview` or `google-ai-studio/gemini-3-flash-preview` |

If you use the Vercel AI SDK, swap the provider:

```diff
- import { createOpenRouter } from "@openrouter/ai-sdk-provider";
+ import { createLLMGateway } from "@llmgateway/ai-sdk-provider";

- const provider = createOpenRouter({ apiKey: process.env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY });
+ const provider = createLLMGateway({ apiKey: process.env.LLMGATEWAY_API_KEY });
```

## Who Should Use What

**Choose LLM Gateway if:**

- You need self-hosting or data residency control
- You want to use your own provider API keys
- Cost optimization through caching and smart routing matters
- You need enterprise features (guardrails, audit logs, team management)
- You're building production applications that need reliability and observability
- You need video generation capabilities

**Choose OpenRouter if:**

- You want the simplest possible setup for experimentation
- You're a solo developer who doesn't need team or enterprise features
- Community ecosystem and existing tutorials are important to you

## The Bottom Line

Both are good products that solve the same core problem. The difference is depth.

OpenRouter gives you a unified API for multiple models. LLM Gateway gives you that plus the infrastructure — routing optimization, caching, guardrails, audit logs, team management, self-hosting — to run AI in production responsibly.

If you're building something real, you'll eventually need those features. The question is whether you build them yourself or use a platform that includes them.

Weighing more than these two? See the [10 best OpenRouter alternatives in 2026](/blog/openrouter-alternatives) for the full field.

**[Try LLM Gateway free](/signup)** | **[Migration guide](https://docs.llmgateway.io/migrations/openrouter)** | **[Compare all features](/compare/open-router)**
