Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · LLM Gateway Software

Cloudflare AI Gateway vs Apache APISIX

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Cloudflare AI Gateway #2 in LLM Gateway Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Cloudflare
Apache APISIX #6 in LLM Gateway Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Apache APISIX

Cloudflare AI Gateway leads on 0 checks, Apache APISIX on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCloudflare AI Gateway · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresCloudflare AI Gateway · 3 of 5

Cloudflare AI Gateway scores higher on our rubric for llm gateway software: 9.1 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Cloudflare AI Gateway is the better fit for teams wanting a free managed gateway. Apache APISIX is the better fit for self-hosted Kubernetes gateway operators.

  • Cloudflare AI Gateway fits best

    Teams wanting a free managed gateway

  • Apache APISIX fits best

    Self-hosted Kubernetes gateway operators

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Cloudflare AI Gateway 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Apache APISIX 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.4
Ranking #2 in LLM Gateway Software #6 in LLM Gateway Software
Best for Teams wanting a free managed gateway Self-hosted Kubernetes gateway operators
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Self-hosted
Platforms Web Linux
Support Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 24+ integrations 5 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cloudflare AI Gateway 3/5 · Apache APISIX 0/5
Fallback routing ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Usage analytics ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Self-hosted deployment Not checked yet Not checked yet
Budget controls ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Virtual API keys Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Provider count Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Unified API across major AI providers and OpenAI-compatible interfaces
  • Analytics, logging, caching, retries, and fallback routing in one gateway
  • Spend limits and BYOK provider-key storage with rotation
  • 100+ gateway and AI plugins with routing and security controls
  • Kubernetes Ingress, Gateway API, and Helm integration
  • Supports HTTP, gRPC, WebSocket, MQTT, TCP, UDP, and HTTP/3
Cons
  • Provider inference costs are passed through separately
  • Cloud-based deployment may not suit self-hosted requirements
  • The published plan structure centers on one core tier
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the gateway
  • Community and documentation are the listed support channels
  • The broad feature set may require more gateway administration
Our verdict

Cloudflare AI Gateway is a cloud-based gateway for applications that use large language models and other AI services. It is designed for developers and organizations building, operating, and governing AI-powered applications across…

Read the review →

Apache APISIX is an open-source API and AI gateway for teams operating APIs, microservices, and multi-protocol traffic in cloud-native environments. Its fit is strongest for small, mid-market, and enterprise teams that want to run their…

Read the review →
  1. Cloudflare AI GatewayLLM Gateway Software 9.1Free plan
  2. Apache APISIXLLM Gateway Software 8.4Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Cloudflare AI Gateway — where it wins

    • Unified API across major AI providers and OpenAI-compatible interfaces
    • Analytics, logging, caching, retries, and fallback routing in one gateway
    • Spend limits and BYOK provider-key storage with rotation

    Where it doesn't

    • Provider inference costs are passed through separately
    • Cloud-based deployment may not suit self-hosted requirements
    • The published plan structure centers on one core tier

  • Apache APISIX — where it wins

    • 100+ gateway and AI plugins with routing and security controls
    • Kubernetes Ingress, Gateway API, and Helm integration
    • Supports HTTP, gRPC, WebSocket, MQTT, TCP, UDP, and HTTP/3

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the gateway
    • Community and documentation are the listed support channels
    • The broad feature set may require more gateway administration

More comparisons

All LLM gateway software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update