OpenRouter provides instant access to 300+ models via SaaS. Bifrost delivers 11µs latency with self-hosted deployment and zero vendor lock-in.
This comparison examines latency, deployment, and pricing tradeoffs.
Performance
Bifrost: 11µs latency overhead at 5,000 RPS. Go-based, self-hosted (no network hops to gateway infrastructure).
maximhq
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bifrost
Fastest enterprise AI gateway (50x faster than LiteLLM) with adaptive load balancer, cluster mode, guardrails, 1000+ models support & <100 µs overhead at 5k RPS.
Bifrost AI Gateway
The fastest way to build AI applications that never go down
Bifrost is a high-performance AI gateway that unifies access to 15+ providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex, and more) through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Deploy in seconds with zero configuration and get automatic failover, load balancing, semantic caching, and enterprise-grade features.
Quick Start
Go from zero to production-ready AI gateway in under a minute.
Step 1: Start Bifrost Gateway
# Install and run locally
npx -y @maximhq/bifrost
# Or use Docker
docker run -p 8080:8080 maximhq/bifrost
Step 2: Configure via Web UI
# Open the built-in web interface
open http://localhost:8080
Step 3: Make your first API call
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "openai/gpt-4o-mini",
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Bifrost!"}]
}'
That's it! Your AI gateway is running with a web interface for visual configuration…
OpenRouter: 25-40ms latency overhead. 25ms at edge (ideal), 40ms typical production. SaaS architecture, edge-deployed.
Latency accumulation (100 LLM calls):
- Bifrost: 100 × 11µs = 1.1ms total
- OpenRouter: 100 × 25-40ms = 2,500-4,000ms (2.5-4 seconds) total
Deployment
Bifrost: Self-hosted (Docker, Kubernetes, bare metal), in-VPC, on-premises. Multi-cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure, Cloudflare, Vercel). Zero-config Web UI. Full data control.
OpenRouter: SaaS only. Edge-deployed globally. No self-hosted option. Requires OpenRouter account.
Pricing
Bifrost: Open source, zero markup. Pay: Provider API costs + infrastructure (~$100-500/month typical).
OpenRouter: 5% fee on credit purchases (not on provider pricing). Pay-as-you-go or enterprise prepayment.
Cost example ($10K/month LLM spend):
- Bifrost: ~$10,100-10,500
- OpenRouter: $10,500 (5% fee = $500)
Provider Support
Bifrost: 8+ providers, 1,000+ models. Custom provider support. Drop-in replacement for OpenAI/Anthropic SDKs.
OpenRouter: 300+ models across 50+ providers. Model variants: :nitro (fastest), :floor (cheapest). Rapid new model additions.
Routing
Bifrost: Adaptive load balancing (real-time latency, error rates, throughput, health). Weighted routing, P2P clustering.
OpenRouter: Provider routing (:nitro, :floor), automatic fallback, continuous health monitoring, latency/throughput/price thresholds.
Caching
Bifrost: Semantic caching (vector similarity). Dual-layer (exact + semantic). Weaviate integration. 40-60% cost reduction.
OpenRouter: No built-in caching. Cost savings through intelligent provider routing.
Observability
Bifrost: Built-in dashboard, native Prometheus at /metrics, OpenTelemetry tracing, token/cost analytics. Maxim AI integration.
Setting Up - Bifrost
Get Bifrost running as an HTTP API gateway in 30 seconds with zero configuration. Perfect for any programming language.
docs.getbifrost.ai
OpenRouter: Activity dashboard, real-time usage metrics, per-key analytics, Langfuse/Datadog/Braintrust integration.
Data Privacy
Bifrost: Self-hosted = complete data control. Data never leaves infrastructure. In-VPC for compliance.
OpenRouter: Zero Data Retention (ZDR) mode, GDPR compliance, EU region locking. Data flows through OpenRouter (SaaS).
Enterprise Features
Bifrost: Virtual keys, hierarchical budgets (per-team, per-customer, per-project), RBAC, SSO (Google, GitHub), SAML/OIDC, Vault, P2P clustering.
OpenRouter: Multiple users, global policies, programmatic API key management, per-key credit limits (daily/weekly/monthly), SSO (SAML) on Enterprise.
MCP Support
Bifrost: Native MCP (client + server). Agent mode, code mode, tool filtering per-request.
OpenRouter: No MCP support.
Feature Matrix
| Feature | Bifrost | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Latency | 11µs | 25-40ms |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | SaaS only |
| Pricing | Zero markup | 5% credit fee |
| Models | 1,000+ | 300+ |
| Caching | Semantic | None |
| MCP | Native | No |
| Data Control | Complete | ZDR mode |
| Lock-in | None | Platform |
Selection Criteria
Choose Bifrost:
- Ultra-low latency (11µs vs 25-40ms)
- Self-hosted deployment (compliance, data sovereignty)
- Zero vendor lock-in
- Semantic caching built-in
- MCP gateway for agentic apps
- Enterprise governance (RBAC, SSO, budgets)
Choose OpenRouter:
- Zero infrastructure management (SaaS)
- Broadest model catalog (300+, 50+ providers)
- Instant setup (account → API key → use)
- Rapid model access (new models added quickly)
- Accept 25-40ms latency
- Pay-as-you-go, no commitments
Recommendations
Performance-critical: Bifrost's 11µs eliminates overhead. OpenRouter's 25-40ms accumulates in agentic workflows.
Deployment simplicity: OpenRouter requires zero infrastructure. Bifrost needs deployment but offers Web UI zero-config.
Data sovereignty: Bifrost provides complete control (self-hosted). OpenRouter offers ZDR but data routes through their infrastructure.
Cost at scale: Bifrost's zero markup beats 5% fee at high volumes.
Enterprise governance: Bifrost provides RBAC, SSO, hierarchical budgets. OpenRouter offers multi-user credit controls.
Get started:
Bifrost: https://getmax.im/bifrost-home
Docs: https://getmax.im/docspage
GitHub: https://git.new/bifrost
OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai
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