Top 5 AI Gateways for Tracking the Costs of Your AI Applications
TL;DR
Managing AI costs is critical as applications scale across multiple models and providers. This article compares five leading AI gateways built specifically for cost tracking: Bifrost, LiteLLM, Kong AI, Cloudflare AI Gateway, and OpenRouter. Each platform offers unique approaches to monitoring, controlling, and optimizing LLM spending. Bifrost stands out with hierarchical budget management, semantic caching to reduce costs, and native observability integration, while others excel in different areas like serverless deployment or multi-provider routing.
Overview > Why Cost Tracking Matters for AI Applications
AI applications can quickly become cost centers without proper monitoring. A single production app might call multiple models across different providers, with costs varying by token count, model complexity, and request volume. According to OpenAI's pricing documentation, GPT-4 costs can be 30x higher than GPT-3.5 Turbo per token, making untracked usage financially risky.
Effective cost tracking requires more than simple logging. Teams need real-time visibility, budget controls, and optimization features like caching and fallback routing to manage expenses while maintaining AI reliability.
AI Gateways > Bifrost
Bifrost > Platform Overview
Bifrost is a high-performance AI gateway that provides comprehensive cost tracking alongside unified access to 12+ LLM providers. Built by Maxim AI, Bifrost combines cost management with production-grade features like automatic failovers, semantic caching, and native observability.
Bifrost > Features
Bifrost > Features > Hierarchical Budget Management
- Create virtual keys with spending limits at team, customer, or project level
- Set hard and soft caps with automated alerts when thresholds are approached
- Track costs across multiple dimensions (user, endpoint, model, provider)
Bifrost > Features > Real-Time Cost Analytics
- Granular cost breakdowns by provider, model, and API key
- Native Prometheus metrics for cost tracking dashboards
- Integration with Maxim's observability platform for comprehensive spend analysis
Bifrost > Features > Cost Optimization Features
- Semantic caching reduces repeat queries by up to 80%
- Automatic fallback routing to lower-cost alternatives when primary models fail
- Load balancing across API keys to maximize free tier usage
Bifrost > Features > Enterprise Security
- HashiCorp Vault integration for secure API key management
- SSO support for centralized access control
- Audit logs for compliance and cost attribution
Bifrost > Best For
Bifrost excels for teams needing end-to-end cost governance across the AI development lifecycle. Organizations using Maxim's evaluation and observability platform gain unified visibility from experimentation through production, with cost tracking integrated into every workflow stage.
Ideal for engineering teams managing multiple AI applications, customer-facing deployments requiring budget isolation, and enterprises needing granular cost controls with security compliance.
AI Gateways > LiteLLM
LiteLLM > Platform Overview
LiteLLM is an open-source proxy that translates between 100+ LLM providers using OpenAI's format. Cost tracking is available through budget management features and usage analytics.
LiteLLM > Features
- Virtual key budgets with automatic spend limits
- Basic cost analytics by user and API key
- Provider cost calculations based on token usage
- Simple dashboard for usage monitoring
LiteLLM > Best For
Teams wanting a lightweight, open-source solution with basic cost tracking. Works well for developers comfortable with self-hosting and needing multi-provider support without enterprise features.
AI Gateways > Kong AI Gateway
Kong AI > Platform Overview
Kong AI Gateway extends Kong's API management platform with LLM-specific capabilities, including cost tracking through existing rate limiting and analytics infrastructure.
Kong AI > Features
- Request-level cost attribution through Kong's analytics
- Rate limiting to control spend
- Plugin-based cost tracking integrations
- API-first budget enforcement
Kong AI > Best For
Organizations already using Kong for API management who want to extend their existing infrastructure to AI workloads. Best suited for teams prioritizing API governance over specialized AI features.
AI Gateways > Cloudflare AI Gateway
Cloudflare AI > Platform Overview
Cloudflare AI Gateway provides cost tracking as part of Cloudflare's global network infrastructure, with built-in caching and analytics at the edge.
Cloudflare AI > Features
- Request logging with cost estimates
- Caching to reduce provider costs
- Analytics dashboard showing spend trends
- Free tier for basic cost visibility
Cloudflare AI > Best For
Teams already on Cloudflare's infrastructure or needing global edge deployment. Ideal for applications prioritizing latency reduction alongside cost management.
AI Gateways > OpenRouter
OpenRouter > Platform Overview
OpenRouter is a unified API for accessing 200+ models with transparent, competitive pricing. Cost tracking focuses on model comparison and intelligent routing.
OpenRouter > Features
- Real-time price comparison across models
- Automatic routing to lowest-cost options
- Usage dashboards with spend breakdowns
- Credits-based billing system
OpenRouter > Best For
Developers prioritizing cost optimization through model selection. Best for experimentation-heavy workflows where comparing model costs across providers drives decision-making.
Platform Comparison
| Feature | Bifrost | LiteLLM | Kong AI | Cloudflare | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hierarchical Budgets | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Semantic Caching | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Real-Time Analytics | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Provider Fallbacks | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Enterprise Security | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Self-Hosted Option | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Observability Integration | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ |
Choosing the Right Gateway
Cost tracking requirements vary by organization maturity and use case:
Choose Bifrost if you need comprehensive cost governance, hierarchical budgets, and built-in observability workflows. Best for production applications with complex cost attribution needs.
Choose LiteLLM for open-source flexibility with basic cost tracking across many providers.
Choose Kong AI Gateway if you're already invested in Kong's ecosystem and want familiar API management patterns.
Choose Cloudflare for edge-based caching and cost reduction alongside Cloudflare's CDN.
Choose OpenRouter for model price comparison and routing optimization during development.
Schedule a demo to see how Bifrost's cost tracking works alongside Maxim's evaluation and monitoring capabilities.
