Calling OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google directly from your application. You get an API key from their dashboard, install their SDK, and make requests. Simple, fast, and works great for prototypes and low-volume use cases.
✓ Simplicity: 5 lines of code, no middleman
✓ Official SDKs: Best-in-class libraries from providers
✓ Lowest latency: No proxy overhead (~20-30ms faster)
✓ Immediate access: New features available day 1
✓ Pay-per-use: Only pay for what you consume
✕ No budget caps: If your app goes viral, you're on the hook for unlimited charges
✕ No spending alerts: You discover overspending when the bill arrives
✕ No automatic failover: OpenAI downtime = your app is down
✕ No per-client tracking: Can't track costs by customer/project
✕ No intelligent routing: You manually choose models (often overspending)
✕ Multiple API keys: Managing OpenAI + Claude + Gemini separately
1. Your monthly AI bill exceeds $50
→ ROI calculation: Gateway saves 40-50% via intelligent routing = $20-25/month savings on $50 spend
2. You've had an unexpected bill spike
→ Even one $200 surprise bill justifies a gateway forever
3. You bill clients for AI usage
→ Per-client tracking and CSV export saves hours of manual work
4. You use multiple providers
→ Managing 3 API keys + 3 billing accounts + 3 dashboards = chaos
5. Uptime matters
→ OpenAI goes down monthly. Automatic failover to Claude prevents customer-facing failures
| Feature | Direct API | AI Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | ✓ 5 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Latency | ✓ 800ms (direct) | 815-830ms (+15-30ms) |
| Budget caps | ✕ | ✓ |
| Spending alerts | ✕ | ✓ |
| Automatic failover | ✕ | ✓ |
| Per-client tracking | ✕ Manual tagging | ✓ Built-in |
| Intelligent routing | ✕ Manual | ✓ 40-50% savings |
| Multi-provider support | Separate SDKs | ✓ Unified API |
| Monthly cost | $7.50+ (unlimited) | $99/month ($5,000 budget) |
| Bill shock risk | ✕ High | ✓ Eliminated |
Direct API:
• Usage-based billing (unlimited potential cost)
• Risk: One bug could cost $200+ overnight
• No routing optimization—always pay full price
• Total: Variable (high risk of bill shock)
AI Gateway:
• $99/month includes $5,000 usage budget
• Intelligent routing saves 40-50% through cheaper models
• Budget cap prevents runaway costs
• Total: $99/month (zero risk, predictable)
AI Gateway pays for itself if:
• It prevents ONE $100+ surprise bill (instantly ROI positive), OR
• Intelligent routing saves 40% on $250+/month spend (saves $100/month), OR
• Per-client tracking saves you 2+ hours/month at $50/hr billable rate (saves $100/month)
✓ You're building a prototype or MVP
✓ You're spending under $50/month on tokens
✓ You're comfortable manually monitoring usage
✓ Downtime is acceptable (personal projects)
✓ You need absolute maximum performance (latency-critical)
✓ You're spending $50+/month on LLM tokens
✓ You need predictable, capped costs
✓ You bill clients and need per-client tracking
✓ You use multiple providers (OpenAI + Claude + Gemini)
✓ You've experienced bill shock before
✓ Uptime matters (customer-facing features)
✓ You want to optimize costs automatically
Most teams start with direct API and migrate to a gateway once they hit production scale. The migration is simple:
1. Get AI Gateway API key
2. Change base_url in your OpenAI client config
3. Replace API key
4. Deploy
Migration time: 5 minutes. Zero code rewrite required.
Try AI Gateway Free →