Reserve the budget first
The gateway reserves available budget before an approved provider receives the request.
AI gateway comparisons
Compare AI gateways on the controls that matter in production.
See how each product handles model access, budgets, provider outages, administration, and the records available after a request. Every guide links to dated, first-party sources.
- Budget reserved before dispatch
- Prompt storage off by default
- Dated, first-party competitor sources
Why AI Gateway HQ
Rules that run before a provider can charge you.
A shared API is only the starting point. Finance needs firm spending limits, security needs enforceable access rules, and operators need a clear record of what happened.
Check the request first
The gateway checks identity, policy, attack signals, budget, model capability, and provider health. Only then does it decrypt the selected provider key.
Keep the record, not the prompt
Review routing, policy, cost, timing, attempts, and audit-chain status while prompt storage stays off by default.
2026 buyer guide
Read the three-way guide OpenRouter vs. LiteLLM vs. AI Gateway HQ
Compare three products: a hosted model marketplace, a self-operated proxy, and a managed gateway for spend control. The guide covers routing, budgets, governance, operating burden, and published price.
Decision guides
Compare AI Gateway HQ with ten common alternatives.
Each guide states what we verified, cites the source, and explains when either product may be the better fit.
AI Gateway HQ vs.
Portkey / Prisma AIRS AI Gateway
Use a managed gateway that blocks unfunded requests and keeps prompt text out of the request ledger by default.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
LiteLLM
Use a managed service instead of running a proxy, database, master key, and upgrade program.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
Cloudflare AI Gateway
Set a firm spending ceiling that reserves funds ahead of each provider call.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
OpenRouter
Choose between broad hosted model access and a tighter company spending boundary.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
Vercel AI Gateway
Apply the same finance and security rules across providers and application platforms, not only one hosting account.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
Bifrost
Run enterprise controls as a managed service while AI Gateway HQ operates the gateway software.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
TrueFoundry AI Gateway
Give finance, security, and system administrators a focused gateway with strict spending controls instead of a broader ML platform.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
Kong AI Gateway
Manage AI budgets and policy directly instead of adapting a general API-management platform.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
Helicone
Block policy and budget violations ahead of model use, and keep prompt text out of the ledger by default.
Read the comparisonAI Gateway HQ vs.
Azure API Management
Manage providers in one place and reserve budget centrally, independent of Azure API Management tiers.
Read the comparisonComparison standard
Latest item review: August 25, 2026. The exact review date appears on every guide because product capabilities change frequently. We link to first-party documentation and pricing, and invite corrections. No paid placement or synthetic review scores.