UnoRouter vs LiteLLM: hosted gateway or self-hosted proxy
LiteLLM is the most popular self-hosted LLM proxy. UnoRouter is a hosted gateway with a built-in chat client. The real choice is whether you want to run the infrastructure yourself.
LiteLLM is the default open-source answer to one key for every model: an MIT-licensed Python proxy you run yourself. UnoRouter answers the same need, but hosted, with a client on top. The honest split is not features. It is whether you want to operate the proxy or just call an endpoint.
Self-hosted vs hosted
LiteLLM is software you deploy and run: spin up the proxy, manage the process, watch the logs, scale it under load. That gives you total control and no middleman, which is exactly what a platform team wants. UnoRouter is the opposite tradeoff. There is nothing to deploy or keep alive. You get an endpoint and a key, and uptime, routing, and failover are our problem, not yours.
Setup and maintenance
With LiteLLM you write a config, supply every provider's API keys, run the server (Python, so watch the GIL under concurrency), and own upgrades and monitoring forever. With UnoRouter you sign up and point your client at https://api.unorouter.com/v1. No config file, no provider keys to collect, no server to babysit. One is infrastructure you maintain; the other is a service you consume.
There is no LiteLLM you can chat in
LiteLLM is headless by design: an API layer, you bring every interface. UnoRouter ships the same OpenAI-compatible API plus a built-in chat and character client (personas, lorebooks, presets, SillyTavern card import), and the same key drops into SillyTavern, Janitor.AI, RisuAI, or Chub. So a coding agent and a place to actually chat run off one key, instead of a proxy you still have to build a UI for.
Cost and keys
LiteLLM takes no markup, but you pay each provider directly and carry the infra bill plus the DevOps time. That wins at high volume if you have the team. UnoRouter is pay-as-you-go across 200+ models with credits that do not expire and a free tier, one balance instead of a wallet at every provider, and no servers to pay for. Below serious scale, the hosted route is usually cheaper once you count the hours.
Which should you pick
If you have a platform team, want zero markup, and are happy owning the proxy, LiteLLM is the right tool. If you want one OpenAI-compatible key with nothing to deploy, that works in your coding agent and in a real chat client, UnoRouter fits. There is no single winner. It comes down to whether you want to run the gateway or just use one.
Want a gateway with nothing to deploy? Create a free account or browse the models.
We wired 18 free providers into UnoRouter: 126 free model rows, one OpenAI-compatible endpoint, $0 per token. They are free for a reason and carry rate limits we cannot raise. Here is the honest version.
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UnoRouter and OpenRouter both put many models behind one OpenAI-compatible key. The difference is what sits on top: a headless API, or an API plus a built-in chat and character client. Here is the honest version.