otari vs freellmapi
Self-hosted LLM request routers compared
otari and freellmapi both route LLM requests through a self-hosted API and support multiple providers. otari focuses on team access, budgets, and configurable routing, while freellmapi targets personal experimentation with free provider tiers and custom endpoints.
otari: Run an OpenAI-Compatible LLM Gateway
Otari is Mozilla AI’s self-hostable LLM gateway, using any-llm to route OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible requests to providers through one endpoint. It adds virtual keys, budgets, routing policies, and usage tracking for teams operating their own AI stack.
freellmapi: Route LLM Requests Through One API
FreeLLMAPI is a self-hosted TypeScript router that combines free LLM provider accounts and custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints behind one API. It selects models, tracks quotas, and retries across providers, mainly for personal experimentation and development.
| otari | freellmapi | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Stars | 660 | 30.3k |
| Forks | 83 | 4.2k |
| Last analyzed | Oct 19, 2026 | Oct 3, 2026 |
Key differences
- otari is written in Python and supports 40+ providers through any-llm; freellmapi is written in TypeScript and routes across free provider tiers and custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints.
- otari offers scoped virtual keys, pre-request budget checks, and usage records for teams; freellmapi emphasizes quota tracking, key rotation, and fallback when providers hit rate limits or server errors.
- otari provides OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible endpoints; freellmapi also describes Gemini and optional Ollama-compatible interfaces, plus support for media request types.
- otari is Apache-2.0 licensed, while freellmapi is MIT licensed.
- otari can run standalone with its own database or connect a data plane to otari.ai; freellmapi can run locally or in Docker, and its README describes desktop installers.
- otari is positioned for teams managing provider access and spend; freellmapi explicitly targets personal experimentation and learning, not production inference.
Choose otari if you…
- need centralized keys, budgets, and usage tracking for teams.
- want routing policies such as failover, weighting, or learned selection across configured providers.
- prefer a self-hosted gateway with OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible endpoints.
Choose freellmapi if you…
- want to experiment with free provider tiers through one API.
- need to route requests to custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints, including local services.
- want a TypeScript router with quota tracking, key rotation, and automatic fallback.
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This comparison is generated with AI from the OSRepos analyses of both projects. Always check each project's repository and documentation before choosing.