# The 3 best LLM gateways and routers (2026) — The Agents Index

> Source: https://theagentsindex.com/category/llm-gateways (curated, re-verified)
> Updated 1 November 2026 · Reviewed by The Agents Index editorial team

One API in front of many models: routing, fallbacks, keys, spend limits and logs.

3 agents in this category, ranked by what we can confirm about each (a public price, an API and docs, independent sources, stated limits; payment never changes the order). Each name links to its answer-first markdown twin.

## Facts

- Free to start: 3 of 3
- API: 0 of 3
- First paid plan a month: 1 of 3 publish one, $49
- Checked against their own sites: 29 October 2026 (3 of 3)
- Added in November 2026: 1

| Name | What it is | Pricing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [LiteLLM](https://theagentsindex.com/litellm.md) | Self-hosted open-source gateway that puts models, agents and MCP tools behind one API. | Free |
| [OpenRouter](https://theagentsindex.com/openrouter.md) | One OpenAI-compatible API that routes across hundreds of models and providers. | Free |
| [Portkey](https://theagentsindex.com/portkey.md) | An open-source AI gateway that unifies model access with governance and LLM observability. | Free, then $49 a month |

## LLM gateways and routers compared

| Agent | Vendor's price | MCP server | API | Open source | Self-host |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LiteLLM](https://theagentsindex.com/litellm) | Free | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| [OpenRouter](https://theagentsindex.com/openrouter) | Free | Yes | Not stated | No | Not stated |
| [Portkey](https://theagentsindex.com/portkey) | Free, then $49 a month | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |

All 3 LLM gateways and routers we list.

## 1 of these 3 are open source, and 2 can be self-hosted.

*How open each agent is*

| Agent | API | Free | MCP | Key | Open | Self |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LiteLLM](https://theagentsindex.com/litellm) | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| [OpenRouter](https://theagentsindex.com/openrouter) | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Not stated |
| [Portkey](https://theagentsindex.com/portkey) | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

Each answer is read from the agent's own docs and pricing pages. [How we check →](https://theagentsindex.com/methodology/)

3 agents in this ranking, sheets checked by 29 October 2026.

## Questions buyers ask

### Which LLM gateway here costs the least?

All 3 have a free plan: LiteLLM, OpenRouter and Portkey.

### When were these prices checked?

On 29 October 2026, each read on the maker's own pricing page.

## Sources and method

The ones whose price, API, docs, sources and limits we could confirm come first. [How we check](https://theagentsindex.com/methodology/)

Every price here was read on the maker's own pricing page.

- [LiteLLM](https://theagentsindex.com/litellm): [litellm.ai/pricing](https://www.litellm.ai/pricing), checked 29 October 2026
- [Portkey](https://theagentsindex.com/portkey): [portkey.ai/pricing](https://portkey.ai/pricing), checked 29 October 2026