What is AI Gateway?
Vercel AI Gateway is a unified access layer for AI models from many providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and open-source models. Developers get one API key and one endpoint instead of managing separate keys, rate limits, and billing for each provider. Existing OpenAI, Anthropic, and AI SDK integrations can be moved over by swapping the base URL.
The gateway routes requests based on availability, cost, or latency. If a provider degrades, it fails over to the same model on another provider. Billing is unified, usage is observable in one place, and teams can enforce controls such as zero data retention, provider allowlists, and budgets or quotas. Providers are billed at their own prices with no token markup, according to the homepage.
Key features
- Access to hundreds of models through one API key
- No markup on token prices, pay provider prices
- Automatic failover to the same model on another provider
- Routing by availability, cost, or latency
- Unified billing and observability
- Zero data retention and provider allowlists
Who is it for
- Developers building AI-powered applications
- Engineering teams managing multiple AI providers
- Companies with security or compliance requirements
Pros and cons
- No token markup; invoicing available with no payment processing fees
- Automatic fallbacks during provider outages
- Easy migration from OpenAI or Anthropic SDKs via base URL swap
- Latency figures are illustrative and vary by region and traffic
- Enterprise controls such as advanced budgets are described without public pricing
AI Gateway pricing
The vendor does not publish prices in a readable form (often pricing is shown only after signing in).
Is AI Gateway free?
The vendor does not state this clearly on the homepage or pricing page.
AI Gateway alternatives
| Tool | Price from | Free plan | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cline | not listed | yes | APIs & models |
 Amazon Bedrock | od 0,20 USD | ? | APIs & models |
 Claude Platform (Anthropic API) | 2 USD input / 10 USD output | no | APIs & models |
 Google AI Studio | 0,75 USD | ? | APIs & models |
 OpenAI Platform | 0,10 USD | ? | APIs & models |
 Fireworks AI | 0.50 USD | no | APIs & models |
All alternatives to AI Gateway →
FAQ
What is AI Gateway used for?
One API key to access hundreds of AI models (text, image, video, audio) with no markup, plus automatic failover, for developers.
Is AI Gateway free?
The vendor does not state this clearly on the homepage or pricing page.
How much does AI Gateway cost?
The vendor does not publish prices publicly or requires sign-in.
What are the best AI Gateway alternatives?
Closest alternatives: Cline, Amazon Bedrock, Claude Platform (Anthropic API), Google AI Studio, OpenAI Platform.
Data checked October 12, 2026 on the vendor website (vercel.com).