head to head · open source
headroom vs LiteLLM
headroom has 78,657 GitHub stars, 6,141 forks, 643 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LiteLLM has 62,569 stars, 12,940 forks, 5,022 open issues and last shipped yesterday. headroom leads on adoption by 26% (78,657 vs 62,569 stars). headroom is written in Python under Apache-2.0; LiteLLM is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. headroom has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, LiteLLM 21%. LiteLLM was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (anthropic, langchain, llm), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| headroom | LiteLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 79K | ★ 63K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.1K | ⑂ 13K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick headroom if
- You weight community size — 79K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick LiteLLM if
- You want the LiteLLM feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and LiteLLM fits your workflow better
About headroom
Quickstart · Install · Proof · Agents · Docs · Discord · llms.txt AI agents / LLMs: read /llms.txt here, or fetch the live index · full docs blob . Headroom compresses everything your AI agent reads — tool outputs, logs, RAG chunks, files, and conversation history — before it reaches the LLM. Same answers, fraction of the tokens. Compression runs on your machine; no prompt or file content is sent anywhere to be compressed. 10,144 → 1,260 tokens. The same FATAL found. What it does Library — compress(messages) in Python or TypeScript, inline in any app. Proxy — headroom proxy port 8787 , zero code changes, any…
read the full headroom overview →
About LiteLLM
🚅 LiteLLM LiteLLM AI Gateway Open Source AI Gateway for 100+ LLMs. Self hosted. Enterprise ready. Call any LLM in OpenAI format. LiteLLM Proxy Server (AI Gateway) Hosted Proxy Enterprise Tier Website What is LiteLLM LiteLLM is an open source AI Gateway that gives you a single, unified interface to call 100+ LLM providers — OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Bedrock, Azure, and more — using the OpenAI format. Use it as a Python SDK for direct library integration, or deploy the AI Gateway (Proxy Server) as a centralized service for your team or organization. Jump to LiteLLM Proxy (LLM Gateway) Docs Jump to Supported LLM…
read the full LiteLLM overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is headroom or LiteLLM more popular?
headroom has 78,657 GitHub stars and LiteLLM has 62,569. headroom has the larger community by that measure.
Are headroom and LiteLLM free?
Both are open source. headroom is licensed under Apache-2.0, and LiteLLM has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between headroom and LiteLLM?
headroom is written in Python and LiteLLM in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, headroom or LiteLLM?
Choose headroom if you want the larger community (78,657 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose LiteLLM if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.