Inference Gateway
Inference Gateway: A self-hosted OpenAI-compatible gateway with broad provider support but no fallback routing. Ranked #29 of 34 in LLM Gateway Software by our editors (6.1/10); pricing: Free plan; best for developers needing an open-source local-provider gateway.
At a glance
- Editor score6.1 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forDevelopers needing an open-source local-provider gateway
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Unifies 15 documented hosted and local LLM providers
- Adds observability with Prometheus, OTLP, logs, and Grafana
- Supports OIDC, JWT, MCP, Kubernetes, and cost tracking
Where it doesn't
- Retries and fallback routing are deferred
- Requires self-hosting for deployment
- Routing uses round-robin rather than fallback recovery
Our verdict on Inference Gateway
Inference Gateway is an open-source, self-hostable proxy for developers and teams running LLM applications across hosted and local providers. It presents a unified OpenAI-compatible API and is documented for Windows, macOS, Linux, API use, and self-hosted environments. The project covers Docker, Kubernetes, on-premises, cloud, and air-gapped deployments, with a command-line interface and desktop application also documented. Its provider list includes OpenAI, DeepSeek, Anthropic, Cohere, Groq, Cloudflare, Ollama, Google, Mistral, NVIDIA, and other documented integrations.
Its strongest fit is an environment that needs one interface across different inference backends. Logical model aliases can route requests across providers and models using round-robin selection, while server-sent events provide token-level deltas and usage metrics. Native MCP integration supports tool discovery and execution, and Kubernetes resources provide declarative gateway and agent configuration. These capabilities make the product relevant for teams coordinating hosted APIs, local runtimes, and operational tooling without changing the application-facing API.
Operational visibility and access control are substantial parts of the offering. Prometheus metrics, OTLP tracing, structured logs, and Grafana dashboards support observability, while OIDC authentication and JWT validation against issuer JWKS address gateway access. The CLI adds token usage and per-model pricing for cost tracking. The main limitation is routing resilience: retries and fallback routing are deferred, so teams requiring automatic recovery between providers should choose a gateway with explicit fallback behavior instead. Inference Gateway suits developers who value open-source control, self-hosting, local-provider support, and standards-based integrations; it is less suitable when managed hosting or built-in failover is a primary requirement.
Your product? Our editors can test Inference Gateway in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Inference Gateway pricing
Inference Gateway fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Provider count | Not verified |
| Fallback routing | No |
| Usage analytics | Yes |
| Self-hosted deployment | Yes |
| Budget controls | Not verified |
| Virtual API keys | Not verified |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Desktop |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 15 integrations: OpenAI, DeepSeek, Anthropic, Cohere, Groq, Cloudflare … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | docs.inference-gateway.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
Inference Gateway integrations
Inference Gateway lists 15 integrations on its own site.
- OpenAI
- DeepSeek
- Anthropic
- Cohere
- Groq
- Cloudflare
- Ollama Cloud
- Ollama
- llama.cpp
- Mistral
- MiniMax
- Moonshot
- NVIDIA
- Z-AI
See all Inference Gateway integrations →
Alternatives to Inference Gateway
- OpenRouterA broad LLM gateway for teams that need model choice without separate integrations.9.2
- Cloudflare AI GatewayA free managed gateway for routing, monitoring, and governing multi-provider AI traffic.9.1
- Alibaba Cloud AI GatewayA broad AI gateway for enterprises standardizing LLM, agent, and MCP traffic.9.0
See all Inference Gateway alternatives →
Also Ranked In
Inference Gateway is ranked in 2 of our directories.
Used Inference Gateway? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Inference Gateway for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
Inference Gateway is listed in our LLM Gateway Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/inference-gateway/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/inference-gateway.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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.
Last updated · How we research and update