---
title: "AI gateway alternatives"
description: "Compare AI gateway platforms for production workloads across performance, governance, MCP support, cost tracking, scalability, security, and migration fit."
url: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives"
markdown: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives.md"
---

# AI gateway alternatives

> Compare AI gateway platforms for production workloads across performance, governance, MCP support, cost tracking, scalability, security, and migration fit.

## Important Links

- [View MCP Gateway](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/mcp-gateway.md)
- [Features](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/#features)
- [Enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/enterprise)
- [Pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/pricing.md)
- [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost)
- [Book a Demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/book-a-demo)

## Resources

- [LiteLLM Alternatives](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives/litellm-alternatives.md): Compare LiteLLM alternatives for production AI gateway performance, reliability, governance, observability, MCP support, and migration path.
- [Portkey Alternatives](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives/portkey-alternatives.md): Compare Portkey alternatives for multi-provider routing, SDK compatibility, latency overhead, MCP capabilities, deployment model, and enterprise controls.

## AI Gateway Alternative Evaluation

_Comparison hub_

The alternatives hub compares AI gateway platforms for production workloads. It focuses on multi-model routing, MCP support, governance, cost tracking, scalability, enterprise-grade security, and production reliability.

Detailed LiteLLM and Portkey comparisons cover architecture, performance, migration fit, governance, SDK compatibility, MCP support, and enterprise controls.

- [LiteLLM alternatives](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives/litellm-alternatives.md)
- [Portkey alternatives](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives/portkey-alternatives.md)
- [Buyer guide](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/buyers-guide.md)

## Evaluation Criteria

_What production teams compare_

- **Performance:** Latency overhead, throughput, success rate under load, memory usage, and runtime architecture.
- **Reliability:** Automatic fallbacks, routing rules, load balancing, backpressure, circuit breaking, and health-aware routing.
- **Governance:** Virtual keys, budgets, rate limits, RBAC, SSO, audit logs, guardrails, and enterprise deployment controls.
- **Agent tooling:** MCP Gateway support, MCP Code Mode, tool hosting, federated authentication, and CLI coding-agent governance.
- **Migration fit:** Drop-in SDK compatibility, base URL changes, setup time, self-hosting complexity, and operational dependencies.

## Features

### OSS Features

- **01 - Model Catalog:** Access 8+ providers and 1000+ AI models through a unified interface. Also supports custom deployed models.
- **02 - Budgeting:** Set spending limits and track costs across teams, projects, and models.
- **03 - Provider Fallback:** Automatic failover between providers ensures 99.99% uptime for your applications.
- **04 - MCP Gateway:** Centralize all MCP tool connections, governance, security, and auth. Your AI can safely use MCP tools with centralized policy enforcement. [MCP Gateway resource](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/mcp-gateway.md).
- **05 - Virtual Key Management:** Create different virtual keys for different use cases with independent budgets and access control.
- **06 - Unified Interface:** One consistent API for all providers. Switch models without changing code.
- **07 - Drop-in Replacement:** Replace your existing SDK with just one line change. Compatible with OpenAI, Anthropic, LiteLLM, Google GenAI, LangChain, and more. [Drop-in replacement docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai/features/drop-in-replacement).
- **08 - Built-in Observability:** Out-of-the-box OpenTelemetry support. Built-in dashboard for quick visibility without complex setup.
- **09 - Community Support:** Active Discord community with responsive support and regular updates.

### Enterprise Features

- **01 - Governance:** SAML support for SSO and role-based access control with policy enforcement for team collaboration. [Governance resource](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/governance.md).
- **02 - Adaptive Load Balancing:** Automatically optimizes traffic distribution across provider keys and models based on real-time performance metrics.
- **03 - Cluster Mode:** High availability deployment with automatic failover and load balancing. Peer-to-peer clustering where every instance is equal.
- **04 - Alerts:** Real-time notifications for budget limits, failures, and performance issues on Email, Slack, PagerDuty, Teams, Webhook, and more.
- **05 - Log Exports:** Export and analyze request logs, traces, and telemetry data from Bifrost with enterprise-grade data export for compliance, monitoring, and analytics.
- **06 - Audit Logs:** Comprehensive logging and audit trails for compliance and debugging.
- **07 - Vault Support:** Secure API key management with HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Google Secret Manager, and Azure Key Vault integration.
- **08 - VPC Deployment:** Deploy Bifrost within your private cloud infrastructure with VPC isolation, custom networking, and enhanced security controls. [Enterprise deployment resource](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/enterprise-deployment.md).
- **09 - Guardrails:** Automatically detect and block unsafe model outputs with real-time policy enforcement and content moderation across all agents. [Guardrails resource](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/guardrails.md).

## Drop-in replacement for compatible AI SDKs

Change one line of code to point compatible SDKs at Bifrost. Works with OpenAI, Anthropic, LiteLLM, Google GenAI, LangChain, and Vercel AI SDK.

### OpenAI

_openai.py_

```
import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
    base_url="https://<bifrost_url>/openai",
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
```

### Anthropic

_anthropic.py_

```
import os
from anthropic import Anthropic

anthropic = Anthropic(
    api_key=os.environ.get("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"),
    base_url="https://<bifrost_url>/anthropic",
)

message = anthropic.messages.create(
    model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Claude"}],
)
```

### LiteLLM

_litellm.py_

```
import litellm

# Set the base URL to your Bifrost deployment
litellm.api_base = "https://<bifrost_url>"

response = litellm.completion(
    model="gpt-4o",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
```

### Google GenAI

_genai.py_

```
import google.generativeai as genai

genai.configure(
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
    transport="rest",
    client_options={"api_endpoint": "<bifrost_url>/google"},
)

model = genai.GenerativeModel("gemini-pro")
response = model.generate_content("Hello!")
```

- Point the SDK base URL at your Bifrost deployment.
- Keep API keys in your environment or secret manager.
- See the docs for provider-specific configuration and deployment steps.

- [Gateway setup docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai/quickstart/gateway/setting-up)
- [Drop-in replacement docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai/features/drop-in-replacement)

## Trust And Deployment

- **Open Source:** Bifrost is open source under the Apache 2.0 License. [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost).
- **Publisher:** Bifrost is published by H3 Labs Inc. and Maxim AI.
- **Compliance:** The site references SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 signals. [Enterprise deployment](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/enterprise-deployment.md).
- **Deployment:** Enterprise resources cover VPC, on-premise, air-gapped, and multi-cloud use. [Enterprise deployment](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/enterprise-deployment.md).

## FAQ

### What is Bifrost?

Bifrost is an open-source LLM gateway that introduces 11 microseconds of overhead at 5K RPS on a t3.xlarge machine. It provides a unified layer for model access, guardrails, and governance across AI systems. [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai), [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost).

### How is my data protected?

Bifrost offers zero-touch in-VPC deployments, so no data ever leaves your environment or passes through Bifrost/Maxim servers. [Governance](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/governance.md), [Enterprise deployment](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/enterprise-deployment.md).

### Can Bifrost integrate with my existing AI stack?

Yes. Bifrost works with major LLM SDKs and frameworks. Compatible SDKs include OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, LangChain, LangGraph, and LiteLLM. [Drop-in replacement docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai/features/drop-in-replacement).

### How much does Bifrost cost?

Bifrost is completely free and open source. For enterprise features and support, you can reach out to us at contact@getmaxim.ai or book a demo with us. [Pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/pricing.md).

### How can I get started with Bifrost?

You can get started with the open-source version in seconds: npx @maximhq/bifrost [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai), [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost).

## Related Resources

- [LiteLLM alternatives](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives/litellm-alternatives.md)
- [Portkey alternatives](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives/portkey-alternatives.md)
- [Performance benchmarks](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/benchmarks.md)
- [LLM gateway buyer's guide](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/buyers-guide.md)
- [Pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/pricing.md)
- [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost)

---

*This is a markdown version of [https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/alternatives) for AI/LLM consumption.*