head to head · open source
headroom vs LLM Gateway
headroom has 73,130 GitHub stars, 5,624 forks, 643 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LLM Gateway has 1,650 stars, 187 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped today. headroom leads on adoption by 4,332% (73,130 vs 1,650 stars). headroom is written in Python under Apache-2.0; LLM Gateway is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. headroom has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, LLM Gateway 11%. LLM Gateway was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (ai, anthropic, 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 | LLM Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 73K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.6K | ⑂ 187 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick headroom if
- You weight community size — 73K 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 LLM Gateway if
- You want the LLM Gateway feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and LLM Gateway fits your workflow better
About headroom
Headroom is an Apache 2.0 Python library, local proxy, agent wrapper and MCP server that compresses tool outputs, logs, files, RAG chunks and conversation history before they reach an LLM, and it is built for developers running AI coding agents or LLM applications who want to cut token usage without changing the answers they get.
read the full headroom overview →
About LLM Gateway
LLM Gateway is an open source API gateway for large language models. It acts as middleware between applications and model providers, and it is categorized in the AI and Machine Learning / AI Development Platforms ecosystem. The project is written in TypeScript, and its core functionality is licensed under AGPLv3, while features in the ee directory require an Enterprise license.
read the full LLM Gateway overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is headroom or LLM Gateway more popular?
headroom has 73,130 GitHub stars and LLM Gateway has 1,650. headroom has the larger community by that measure.
Are headroom and LLM Gateway free?
Both are open source. headroom is licensed under Apache-2.0, and LLM Gateway has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between headroom and LLM Gateway?
headroom is written in Python and LLM Gateway in TypeScript. 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 LLM Gateway?
Choose headroom if you want the larger community (73,130 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose LLM Gateway if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.