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 · Byok System

Envoy AI Gateway vs Open WebUI

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Envoy AI Gateway #6 in Byok System 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Agent Router
Open WebUI #7 in Byok System 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Open WebUI

Envoy AI Gateway leads on 0 checks, Open WebUI on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreEnvoy AI Gateway · 8.4/10
  • Free planboth

Envoy AI Gateway scores higher on our rubric for byok system: 8.4 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #7.

Envoy AI Gateway is the better fit for kubernetes teams needing open-source routing control. Open WebUI is the better fit for established self-hosted BYOK chat and team environments.

  • Envoy AI Gateway fits best

    Kubernetes teams needing open-source routing control

  • Open WebUI fits best

    Established self-hosted BYOK chat and team environments

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 Envoy AI Gateway 8.4/10 Visit ↗ Open WebUI 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.4 7.9
Ranking #6 in Byok System #7 in Byok System
Best for Kubernetes teams needing open-source routing control Established self-hosted BYOK chat and team environments
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 16 integrations 18 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Envoy AI Gateway 0/3 · Open WebUI 0/3
Request routing Not checked yet Not checked yet
Team key sharing Not checked yet Not checked yet
Self-hosting Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Key storage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Supported providers Not checked yet Not checked yet
Usage limits Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Routes across hosted providers and self-hosted model endpoints
  • Supports failover, weighted backends, token limits, and usage budgets
  • Provides traffic, performance, usage, and cost observability
  • Connects local, hosted, and OpenAI-compatible model providers.
  • Combines file analysis, RAG knowledge bases, and cited web search.
  • Includes team controls, SSO options, and extensibility through MCP and OpenAPI.
Cons
  • Deployment is self-hosted rather than a managed service
  • Kubernetes installation uses Helm charts, so it favors Kubernetes teams
  • Support channels are limited to community and documentation
  • It is a chat workspace, not a dedicated BYOK gateway.
  • Self-hosting requires deployment and ongoing administration.
  • Community and documentation are the listed support channels.
Our verdict

Teams building Kubernetes-based AI infrastructure may consider Envoy AI Gateway, an open-source gateway for routing application requests to hosted LLM providers and self-hosted models. It presents a unified API for multiple providers and…

Read the review →

Open WebUI is a self-hosted AI chat workspace for individuals and organizations that want to connect local and hosted models in one interface. It supports Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, and other listed providers, along with…

Read the review →
  1. Envoy AI GatewayByok System 8.4Free plan
  2. Open WebUIByok System 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Envoy AI Gateway — where it wins

    • Routes across hosted providers and self-hosted model endpoints
    • Supports failover, weighted backends, token limits, and usage budgets
    • Provides traffic, performance, usage, and cost observability

    Where it doesn't

    • Deployment is self-hosted rather than a managed service
    • Kubernetes installation uses Helm charts, so it favors Kubernetes teams
    • Support channels are limited to community and documentation

  • Open WebUI — where it wins

    • Connects local, hosted, and OpenAI-compatible model providers.
    • Combines file analysis, RAG knowledge bases, and cited web search.
    • Includes team controls, SSO options, and extensibility through MCP and OpenAPI.

    Where it doesn't

    • It is a chat workspace, not a dedicated BYOK gateway.
    • Self-hosting requires deployment and ongoing administration.
    • Community and documentation are the listed support channels.

More comparisons

All byok system comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update