# OpenRouter vs Portkey: which LLM gateway should you ship in 2026?

**Source:** https://promtable.com/compare/openrouter-vs-portkey

> OpenRouter is the indie / startup-friendly multi-provider router with the broadest model catalog. Portkey is the enterprise gateway with governance, observability, and SLAs. Pick OpenRouter for breadth, Portkey for enterprise.

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OpenRouter is the indie / startup-friendly multi-provider router with the broadest model catalog. Portkey is the enterprise gateway with governance, observability, and SLAs. Pick OpenRouter for breadth, Portkey for enterprise.

## At a glance

| Dimension | OpenRouter | Portkey |
|---|---|---|
| Model catalog | **200+ models across all major labs** ✓ | 100+ models + custom |
| Setup complexity | **One key, one URL** ✓ | More setup but more flexibility |
| Governance / RBAC | Limited | **First class — enterprise-grade** ✓ |
| Observability + tracing | Basic | **Best in class for a gateway** ✓ |
| Caching | Built-in | **First class — semantic + exact** ✓ |
| Routing logic | Manual + fallback | **Manual + automated routing rules** ✓ |
| Pricing model | **Per-token with markup** ✓ | Subscription + per-token |
| Best for | Indie devs, startups, prototyping | Enterprises, regulated industries |

## Verdict

OpenRouter wins for indie developers and startups who want the broadest model catalog with zero ceremony — one key, one URL, all models. Portkey wins for enterprises that need governance, observability, SLAs, and caching baked into the gateway. For a side project, OpenRouter. For a serious org, Portkey.

## When to pick which

- **OpenRouter** — Indie devs, startups, prototyping, multi-model A/B testing.
- **Portkey** — Enterprises, governance, regulated industries, observability-first deployments.

## FAQ

### OpenRouter or Portkey for production?

OpenRouter for startups / indie; Portkey for enterprise. Both work in production but solve different stakeholder problems.

### Cheapest gateway?

OpenRouter has the lowest markup; self-hosted LiteLLM is free OSS.

### Best for caching?

Portkey has the most mature semantic + exact caching; OpenRouter ships basic caching.

## Related

- [/glossary/openrouter](https://promtable.com/glossary/openrouter)
- [/glossary/model-router](https://promtable.com/glossary/model-router)
- [/alternatives/openrouter](https://promtable.com/alternatives/openrouter)

*Last updated: 2026-06-01*
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Original page: https://promtable.com/compare/openrouter-vs-portkey
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