Portkey vs Vercel AI Gateway
Agent-native side-by-side. Scores are curated estimates on a 0–10 scale. Lock-in: higher = worse. Prefer JTBD picks via /api/decide when choosing for a job.
| Dimension | Portkey | Vercel AI Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 8.3 | 8.2 |
| Capability fit | 8.8 | 8.2 |
| Price / performance | 8.2 | 9.0 |
| Latency / reliability | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Developer & agent DX | 9.0 | 9.2 |
| Privacy / data retention | 8.2 | 7.8 |
| Lock-in risk (higher = worse) | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| Maturity / track record | 8.2 | 8.0 |
| Pricing | As of 2026-09-14 (portkey.ai/pricing): Developer free forever (10k logs/mo, 3-day log / 30-day metrics retention). Production $49/mo (100k logs, +$9/100k overage, 30/90-day retention, guardrails, RBAC). Enterprise custom… | As of 2026-09-14 (vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway/pricing): Zero platform fee / zero markup on provider list prices (incl. BYOK on paid). Free tier ~$5/mo credits on free-tier-eligible models with lower per-model rate limits;… |
| Tagline | Depot pick for production AI gateway (fallbacks, virtual keys, budgets). OpenRouter when you want a model… | Best when the app already ships on Vercel/AI SDK. Portkey remains production-gateway default; OpenRouter for… |
Portkey
Depot pick for production AI gateway (fallbacks, virtual keys, budgets). OpenRouter when you want a model catalog/router; Helicone for request-path cost traces; Prisma AIRS when already in Palo Alto estate. Strengths: Universal API + fallbacks/load-balance/retries; Obs + prompt mgmt + guardrails in one; OSS self-host o
Strengths
- Universal API + fallbacks/load-balance/retries
- Obs + prompt mgmt + guardrails in one
- OSS self-host option
Weaknesses
- Acqui/packaging drift into Prisma AIRS
- Not a model marketplace like OpenRouter
- Log caps on cheap tiers
Vercel AI Gateway
Best when the app already ships on Vercel/AI SDK. Portkey remains production-gateway default; OpenRouter for catalog breadth; CF AI Gateway for edge $0. Strengths: Zero-markup multi-provider gateway with AI SDK DX; Simple free credit on-ramp for prototypes; Model fallbacks/routing in one Vercel bill.
Strengths
- Zero-markup multi-provider gateway with AI SDK DX
- Simple free credit on-ramp for prototypes
- Model fallbacks/routing in one Vercel bill
Weaknesses
- Tied to Vercel account gravity
- Free tier model subset + rate limits
- Fewer enterprise virtual-key controls than Portkey
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