# Alternatives to Portkey

> Source: https://theagentsindex.com/portkey/alternatives/ (re-verified)
> Updated: 1 November 2026

## At a glance

| Name | Best for | Starts at | Better than Portkey at | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Portkey](https://theagentsindex.com/portkey.md) | AI teams running production applications across multiple LLM providers | Free, then $49 a month | — | 29 October 2026 |
| [OpenRouter](https://theagentsindex.com/openrouter.md) | Developers building model-flexible AI products across providers | Free | Admin controls, Getting out | 29 October 2026 |
| [LiteLLM](https://theagentsindex.com/litellm.md) | Platform teams operating production AI across models, agents and MCP tools | Free | Runs in your cloud, Admin controls | 29 October 2026 |

The ones people open most here come first, then the closest matches.

## Shortlist

### 1. OpenRouter

One OpenAI-compatible API that routes across hundreds of models and providers.

**Where it improves on Portkey:**
- [Admin controls: yes — Organization guardrails let administrators enforce spend, model and provider allowlists, privacy policies, and content rules.](https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/features/guardrails)
- [Getting out: yes — Usage can be exported as CSV or PDF, and the vendor's terms say unused credits may expire after 365 days.](https://openrouter.ai/terms)

**Trade-offs against Portkey:**
- [Open source: no — OpenRouter's terms treat service source code and materials as proprietary, with rights reserved by OpenRouter.](https://openrouter.ai/terms)
- [Licence: no — The service is proprietary: its terms reserve rights in the materials rather than grant redistribution rights to companies.](https://openrouter.ai/terms)

[View OpenRouter](https://theagentsindex.com/openrouter)

### 2. LiteLLM

Self-hosted open-source gateway that puts models, agents and MCP tools behind one API.

**Where it improves on Portkey:**
- [Runs in your cloud: yes — The gateway supports deployment in a buyer's AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or Kubernetes environment using Helm and Terraform paths.](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/proxy/deploy)
- [Admin controls: yes — Administrators can assign scoped organization and team roles, then constrain budgets, rates, models, and member permissions.](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/enterprise)
- [Data residency: yes — Self-hosted deployments keep processed data in the buyer's infrastructure, so the chosen deployment location determines residency.](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/data_security)

**Trade-offs against Portkey:**
- [How it meters: partial — The OSS gateway has no license fee, while Enterprise is an annual quote based on request capacity, deployment architecture, and support needs.](https://www.litellm.ai/pricing)

[View LiteLLM](https://theagentsindex.com/litellm)