head to head · open source
langchain vs LiteLLM
langchain has 146,538 GitHub stars, 24,504 forks, 492 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LiteLLM has 59,003 stars, 11,534 forks, 5,022 open issues and last shipped yesterday. langchain leads on adoption by 148% (146,538 vs 59,003 stars). langchain is written in Python under MIT; LiteLLM is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. langchain has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, LiteLLM 20%. langchain was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (anthropic, langchain), 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| langchain | LiteLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 147K | ★ 59K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 25K | ⑂ 12K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick langchain if
- You weight community size — 147K stars and counting
- You want the MIT 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 langchain
LangChain is an open source framework for building agents and LLM powered applications, written in Python and released under the MIT license. It lives in the AI and machine learning ecosystem, specifically among AI development platforms, and it works by chaining together interoperable components and third party integrations so that AI application development becomes simpler. The project describes itself as the agent engineering platform, and its abstractions are designed to keep applications working as the underlying technology evolves.
read the full langchain overview →
About LiteLLM
LiteLLM is an open source AI gateway that provides a unified interface to call over 100 large language model (LLM) providers—including OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, Amazon Bedrock, Google VertexAI, and vLLM—using the OpenAI compatible API format. It runs as both a Python SDK for direct integration and as a standalone proxy server for centralized, team or organization wide use.
read the full LiteLLM overview →
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Development Platforms projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Development Platforms field.
Frequently asked questions
Is langchain or LiteLLM more popular?
langchain has 146,538 GitHub stars and LiteLLM has 59,003. langchain has the larger community by that measure.
Are langchain and LiteLLM free?
Both are open source. langchain is licensed under MIT, and LiteLLM has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between langchain and LiteLLM?
langchain 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, langchain or LiteLLM?
Choose langchain if you want the larger community (146,538 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose LiteLLM if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.