FreeLLMAPI vs Portkey
Both put many model providers behind one OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The difference is what the free tier is allowed to do — and what production costs.
| FreeLLMAPI | Portkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of the router | Free, open source, self-hosted | Free Developer tier; Production tier is paid |
| Paid plan | $19/year, or $49 once — optional, catalog only | $49/month, plus $9 per additional 100,000 requests |
| Free tier in production | Yes — routing is free forever | Developer tier is explicitly not for production use |
| Free-tier logging | Logs stay on your machine; no cap, no retention window | 10,000 logs/month, 3-day retention |
| Where your keys live | On your machine (self-hosted) | On Portkey's hosted gateway |
The short version
Portkey is a hosted AI gateway. Its free Developer tier is published as not-for-production — logging is capped at 10,000 logs a month with 3-day retention — and the Production tier is $49/month, plus $9 for every additional 100,000 requests. Your provider keys live on Portkey's side, because the gateway runs there.
FreeLLMAPI is an open-source router you host yourself. There is no production tier to buy: routing, failover and quota tracking are free forever, your provider keys stay on your machine, and logs never leave it. The only paid thing is an optional $19/year or $49 once Premium plan that keeps the model catalog live instead of on a 30-day delay — a one-time $49 against $49 every month.
Which one fits
- Prototypes, side projects, and low-volume production — FreeLLMAPI. Nothing is metered, and free provider tiers cover the inference.
- Keys and logs that must stay in your own environment — FreeLLMAPI, because it is self-hosted by design.
- A hosted commercial gateway with a vendor contract behind it — that is what Portkey's Production tier is for.
Portkey was reported in 2026 to have been acquired by Palo Alto Networks, with the gateway announced as part of PRISMA AIRS AI Gateway. If that changes what you can rely on long-term, an open-source router you host yourself is the hedge.
Frequently asked questions
Is Portkey free?
Portkey has a free Developer tier, but it is explicitly not intended for production: it caps logging at 10,000 logs/month with 3-day retention. Production use starts at $49/month, plus $9 per additional 100,000 requests. FreeLLMAPI's router is free for production or anything else — it is open source and you host it.
What does FreeLLMAPI cost compared to Portkey's $49/month?
The router itself is $0. The optional Premium plan, which only keeps the model catalog live, is $19/year or $49 once — roughly what a single month of Portkey's Production tier costs, and it is not required to route anything.
Where do my provider keys live?
With FreeLLMAPI they never leave your machine — the router is self-hosted, so the keys sit in your own config. Portkey is a hosted gateway, so keys are held on its side.
Is FreeLLMAPI a drop-in replacement for Portkey?
For the free-tier routing case, yes: one OpenAI-compatible endpoint across every provider with a genuine free tier, with failover. Portkey is a broader commercial gateway product; if you need its hosted enterprise features, that is what you are paying for.
Looking for a Portkey alternative? → · FreeLLMAPI vs OpenRouter · FreeLLMAPI vs LiteLLM