Quick links<\/strong> \u2014 Browse Models<\/a> \u00b7 Open Playground<\/a> \u00b7 Create API Key<\/a> \u00b7 API Reference<\/a> \u00b7 User Guide<\/a> \u00b7 See Releases<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n API7<\/strong> (creators behind Apache APISIX) offers an AI Gateway<\/strong> that focuses on governance and reliability for LLM traffic<\/strong>\u2014centralizing credentials\/policies, offering AI-oriented plugins (e.g., multi-LLM proxying, rate limiting), and integrating with popular observability stacks. In short: a gateway for AI egress<\/em>, not a transparent multi-provider marketplace<\/em>. If you already use APISIX\/APIs, you\u2019ll recognize the control-plane\/data-plane approach and the plugin model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your priority is policy enforcement<\/strong>, security<\/strong>, and OpenTelemetry-friendly observability<\/strong>, an AI gateway like API7\u2019s fits the lane. If you want provider-agnostic choice<\/strong>, pre-route transparency<\/strong> (see price\/latency\/uptime\/availability before you call), and instant failover<\/strong> across many providers, you\u2019ll want an aggregator<\/strong> (like ShareAI) alongside or instead of a gateway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LLM aggregators<\/strong>: one API across many models\/providers with pre-route transparency<\/strong> (price, latency, uptime, availability, provider type) and smart routing\/failover<\/strong>. Examples:<\/em> ShareAI, OpenRouter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI gateways<\/strong>: policy\/governance at the edge<\/strong> (credentials, rate limits, guardrails) plus observability; you bring your providers<\/strong>. Examples:<\/em> API7 AI Gateway, Kong AI Gateway, Portkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agent\/chatbot platforms<\/strong>: packaged UX for assistants (memory, tools, channels) \u2014 aimed at end-user experiences rather than provider-agnostic aggregation. Examples:<\/em> Orq, certain orchestration suites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TL;DR<\/strong>: Gateways are governance-first; aggregators are choice + resilience<\/em> first. Many teams pair<\/strong> a gateway for org-wide policy with ShareAI<\/strong> for marketplace-guided routing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What it is.<\/strong> A multi-provider API<\/strong> with a transparent marketplace<\/strong> and smart routing<\/strong>. With one integration, browse a large catalog (150+ models) and compare price, latency, uptime, availability, provider type<\/em>\u2014then route with instant failover<\/strong>. Economics are people-powered: 70%<\/strong> of every dollar flows to providers (community or company) who keep models online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why it\u2019s #1 here.<\/strong> If you want provider-agnostic aggregation<\/strong> with pre-route transparency<\/strong> and resilience<\/strong>, ShareAI is the most direct fit. Keep a gateway if you need org-wide policies; add ShareAI for marketplace-guided routing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quick links<\/strong> \u2014 Browse Models<\/a> \u00b7 Open Playground<\/a> \u00b7 Create API Key<\/a> \u00b7 API Reference<\/a> \u00b7 User Guide<\/a> \u00b7 See Releases<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For providers: earn by keeping models online<\/strong> Enterprise AI\/LLM gateway\u2014governance, policies\/plugins, analytics, observability for AI traffic at the edge. It\u2019s a control plane<\/strong> rather than a marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI gateway emphasizing guardrails, observability, and governance\u2014popular in regulated industries. If you were searching Portkey alternatives<\/strong>, note that ShareAI covers the multi-provider<\/strong> use case with marketplace transparency<\/strong> and failover<\/strong>, which complements gateway features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unified API over many models; great for fast experimentation across a wide catalog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aggregates LLMs plus broader AI capabilities (image, translation, TTS), with fallbacks\/caching and batching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lightweight Python SDK + self-hostable proxy that speaks an OpenAI-compatible interface to many providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quality-oriented routing and evaluation to pick better models per prompt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Orchestration\/collaboration platform that helps teams move from experiments to production with low-code flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A mature API management\/gateway you can place in front of LLM providers to apply policies, keys, and quotas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use NGINX to build custom routing, token enforcement, and caching for LLM backends if you prefer DIY control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need one API over many providers<\/strong> with transparent pricing\/latency\/uptime<\/strong> and instant failover<\/strong>, choose ShareAI<\/strong>. If your top requirement is egress governance<\/strong>\u2014centralized credentials, policy enforcement, OpenTelemetry-friendly<\/strong> observability\u2014an AI gateway like API7 fits that lane. Many teams pair them: gateway for org policy + ShareAI for marketplace routing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raw $\/1K tokens<\/strong> hides the real picture. TCO<\/strong> shifts with retries\/fallbacks, latency (which affects usage), provider variance, observability storage, and evaluation runs. A transparent marketplace<\/strong> helps you choose routes that balance cost and UX<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep gateway-level policies where they shine; add ShareAI for marketplace routing + instant failover<\/strong>. Pattern: gateway auth\/policy \u2192 ShareAI route per model \u2192 measure marketplace stats \u2192 tighten policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Map model names, verify prompt parity, then shadow 10%<\/strong> of traffic and ramp 25% \u2192 50% \u2192 100%<\/strong> as latency\/error budgets hold. Marketplace data makes provider swaps straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replace the self-hosted proxy on production routes you don\u2019t want to operate; keep LiteLLM for dev if desired. Compare ops overhead vs. managed routing benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Define feature-parity expectations (analytics, guardrails, orchestration, plugins). Many teams run hybrid: keep specialized features where they\u2019re strongest; use ShareAI for transparent provider choice<\/strong> and failover<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following use an OpenAI-compatible surface. Replace OpenRouter makes multi-model access<\/strong> quick; API7 centralizes policy and observability<\/strong>. If you also want pre-route transparency<\/strong> and instant failover<\/strong>, ShareAI<\/strong> combines multi-provider access with a marketplace view and resilient routing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both are gateways<\/strong> (policies, plugins, analytics), not marketplaces. Many teams pair a gateway with ShareAI<\/strong> for transparent multi-provider routing<\/strong> and failover<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kong is strong on plugins and edge policy<\/strong>; API7 focuses on AI\/LLM governance and APISIX lineage. For provider choice + resilience<\/strong>, add ShareAI<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both emphasize governance and observability<\/strong>; depth and ergonomics differ. If your main need is transparent provider choice<\/strong> and failover<\/strong>, use ShareAI<\/strong>. (Also relevant if you\u2019re searching What API7 AI Gateway is (and isn\u2019t)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"api7-ai-gateway-alternatives\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/api7-1024x477.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAggregators vs Gateways vs Agent platforms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How we evaluated the best API7 AI Gateway alternatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Top 10 API7 AI Gateway Alternatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1 \u2014 ShareAI (People-Powered AI API)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shareai-1024x547.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Anyone can become a ShareAI provider\u2014Community<\/strong> or Company<\/strong>. Onboard via Windows<\/strong>, Ubuntu<\/strong>, macOS<\/strong>, or Docker<\/strong>. Contribute idle-time bursts<\/strong> or run always-on<\/strong>. Choose your incentive: Rewards<\/strong> (money), Exchange<\/strong> (tokens \/ AI Prosumer), or Mission<\/strong> (donate a % to NGOs). As you scale, you can set your own inference prices<\/strong> and gain preferential exposure<\/strong>. Provider docs: Provider Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n#2 \u2014 Kong AI Gateway<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/gongai-gateway-1024x544.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#3 \u2014 Portkey<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/portkey-1024x524.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#4 \u2014 OpenRouter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/openrouter-1024x527.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#5 \u2014 Eden AI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/edenai-1024x473.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#6 \u2014 LiteLLM<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/litellm-1024x542.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#7 \u2014 Unify<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/unify-1024x544.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#8 \u2014 Orq AI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/orgai-1024x549.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#9 \u2014 Apigee (with LLMs behind it)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Apigee-1024x511.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#10 \u2014 NGINX<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shareai.now\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ngnix-1024x521.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAPI7 AI Gateway vs ShareAI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Quick comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Platform<\/th> Who it serves<\/th> Model breadth<\/th> Governance & security<\/th> Observability<\/th> Routing \/ failover<\/th> Marketplace transparency<\/th> Provider program<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> ShareAI<\/strong><\/td> Product\/platform teams needing one API + fair economics<\/td> 150+ models<\/strong>, many providers<\/td> API keys & per-route controls<\/td> Console usage + marketplace stats<\/td> Smart routing + instant failover<\/td> Yes<\/strong> (price, latency, uptime, availability, provider type)<\/td> Yes<\/strong> \u2014 open supply; 70%<\/strong> to providers<\/td><\/tr> API7 AI Gateway<\/strong><\/td> Teams wanting egress governance<\/td> BYO providers<\/td> Centralized credentials\/policies<\/td> OpenTelemetry metrics\/tracing<\/td> Conditional routing via plugins<\/td> No<\/strong> (infra tool, not a marketplace)<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> Kong AI Gateway<\/strong><\/td> Enterprises needing gateway-level policy<\/td> BYO<\/td> Strong edge policies\/plugins<\/td> Analytics<\/td> Proxy\/plugins, retries<\/td> No (infra)<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> Portkey<\/strong><\/td> Regulated\/enterprise teams<\/td> Broad<\/td> Guardrails & governance<\/td> Deep traces<\/td> Conditional routing<\/td> Partial<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> OpenRouter<\/strong><\/td> Devs wanting one key<\/td> Wide catalog<\/td> Basic API controls<\/td> App-side<\/td> Fallbacks<\/td> Partial<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> Eden AI<\/strong><\/td> Teams needing LLM + other AI services<\/td> Broad<\/td> Standard controls<\/td> Varies<\/td> Fallbacks\/caching<\/td> Partial<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> LiteLLM<\/strong><\/td> DIY\/self-host proxy<\/td> Many providers<\/td> Config\/key limits<\/td> Your infra<\/td> Retries\/fallback<\/td> n\/a<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> Unify<\/strong><\/td> Quality-driven teams<\/td> Multi-model<\/td> Standard API security<\/td> Platform analytics<\/td> Best-model selection<\/td> n\/a<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> Orq<\/strong><\/td> Orchestration-first teams<\/td> Wide support<\/td> Platform controls<\/td> Platform analytics<\/td> Orchestration flows<\/td> n\/a<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr> Apigee \/ NGINX<\/strong><\/td> Enterprises \/ DIY<\/td> BYO<\/td> Policies<\/td> Add-ons \/ custom<\/td> Custom<\/td> n\/a<\/td> n\/a<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Pricing & TCO: compare real<\/em> costs (not just unit prices)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TCO \u2248 \u03a3 (Base_tokens \u00d7 Unit_price \u00d7 (1 + Retry_rate))\n + Observability_storage\n + Evaluation_tokens\n + Egress\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n\n
Migration guide: moving to ShareAI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From API7 AI Gateway<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
From OpenRouter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
From LiteLLM<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
From Unify \/ Portkey \/ Orq \/ Kong<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Developer quickstart (copy-paste)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
YOUR_KEY<\/code> with your ShareAI key\u2014get one at Create API Key<\/a>. See the API Reference<\/a> for details. Try a model instantly in the Playground<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n#!\/usr\/bin\/env bash\n# cURL (bash) \u2014 Chat Completions\n# Prereqs:\n# export SHAREAI_API_KEY=\"YOUR_KEY\"\n\ncurl -X POST \"https:\/\/api.shareai.now\/v1\/chat\/completions\" \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $SHAREAI_API_KEY\" \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application\/json\" \\\n -d '{\n \"model\": \"llama-3.1-70b\",\n \"messages\": [\n { \"role\": \"user\", \"content\": \"Give me a short haiku about reliable routing.\" }\n ],\n \"temperature\": 0.4,\n \"max_tokens\": 128\n }'\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n\/\/ JavaScript (fetch) \u2014 Node 18+\/Edge runtimes\n\/\/ Prereqs:\n\/\/ process.env.SHAREAI_API_KEY = \"YOUR_KEY\"\n\nasync function main() {\n const res = await fetch(\"https:\/\/api.shareai.now\/v1\/chat\/completions\", {\n method: \"POST\",\n headers: {\n \"Authorization\": `Bearer ${process.env.SHAREAI_API_KEY}`,\n \"Content-Type\": \"application\/json\"\n },\n body: JSON.stringify({\n model: \"llama-3.1-70b\",\n messages: [\n { role: \"user\", content: \"Give me a short haiku about reliable routing.\" }\n ],\n temperature: 0.4,\n max_tokens: 128\n })\n });\n\n if (!res.ok) {\n console.error(\"Request failed:\", res.status, await res.text());\n return;\n }\n\n const data = await res.json();\n console.log(JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));\n}\n\nmain().catch(console.error);\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSecurity, privacy & compliance checklist (vendor-agnostic)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
FAQ \u2014 API7 AI Gateway vs other competitors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
API7 AI Gateway vs OpenRouter \u2014 quick multi-model access or gateway controls?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
API7 AI Gateway vs Traefik AI Gateway \u2014 two gateways?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
API7 AI Gateway vs Kong AI Gateway \u2014 which for deep edge policy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
API7 AI Gateway vs Portkey\u2014 who\u2019s stronger on guardrails?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n