8 Best OpenLM Alternatives in 2026 (Open Source)
OpenLM — OpenAI-compatible Python client that can call any LLM. vs LiteLLM / AI SDK: minimalist OpenAI-compatible drop-in replacement — swap openlm for openai in imports and instantly access HuggingFace and Cohere with zero API changes
Short answer
- Closest match to OpenLM: LiteLLM.
- Most actively developed: LiteLLM (13,191 commits in the last 90 days).
- Fastest growing: OmniRoute (+11,258 GitHub stars in the last 30 days).
- No commit in 6+ months: llm.ts and Astra Assistant API.
These 8 open-source tools do the same job. They are ordered by how closely they match OpenLM, with live GitHub data so you can see which projects are actively maintained.
| Tool | GitHub stars | Stars / 30d | Last commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenLM(original) | 368 | 0 | 2023-05-19 |
| LiteLLM | 60.0k | +2,991 | 2026-10-02 |
| llm.ts | 213 | 0 | 2023-05-09 |
| Go OpenAI | 10.8k | +28 | 2026-09-29 |
| OpenAI Python | 31.7k | +221 | 2026-10-02 |
| Bifrost AI Gateway | 8.5k | +832 | 2026-10-02 |
| OmniRoute | 72.2k | +11,258 | 2026-10-02 |
| Astra Assistant API | 207 | 0 | 2025-08-18 |
| OpenLLM | 12.6k | +53 | 2026-05-29 |
1. LiteLLM
Open-source Python SDK and AI gateway for calling 100+ LLMs through a unified OpenAI-compatible interface
What sets it apart: Unlike OpenRouter (hosted-only routing), LiteLLM is self-hostable and provides a full gateway with per-user spend tracking, virtual keys, and A2A/MCP protocol support — making it the enterprise LLM traffic controller
Best for: ML platform teams managing multi-provider LLM access with centralized cost tracking and auth; Developers switching between LLM providers without changing application code
2. llm.ts
Call any LLM with a single API. Zero dependencies.
What sets it apart: vs Vercel AI SDK / LangChain.js: zero-dependency TypeScript library under 10kB that sends prompts to 30+ models from 3 providers in a single call — optimized for lightweight multi-model comparison
Best for: Comparing outputs across multiple LLMs simultaneously in TypeScript; Lightweight multi-model evaluation without vendor lock-in; Browser-based LLM applications needing minimal bundle size
3. Go OpenAI
OpenAI ChatGPT, GPT-5, GPT-Image-1, Whisper API clients for Go
What sets it apart: vs official OpenAI SDKs: the most popular Go client for OpenAI — comprehensive coverage of all API endpoints (chat, images, audio, embeddings) with idiomatic Go interfaces and streaming support
Best for: Go developers needing OpenAI API access in their applications; Backend services requiring typed OpenAI client in Go; Streaming chat implementations in Go-based systems
4. OpenAI Python
The official Python library for the OpenAI API
Best for: Python developers building production applications with OpenAI models; Teams needing type-safe, well-documented API access; Enterprise applications requiring Azure OpenAI integration
5. Bifrost AI Gateway
Fastest enterprise AI gateway (50x faster than LiteLLM) with adaptive load balancer, cluster mode, guardrails, 1000+ models support & <100 µs overhead at 5k RPS.
What sets it apart: Fastest AI gateway with 11us overhead at 5k RPS — built in Go for extreme performance vs LiteLLM/Portkey's Python-based proxies
Best for: High-throughput production AI gateways needing sub-millisecond overhead; Multi-provider failover with zero-downtime requirements
6. OmniRoute
OpenAI-compatible gateway for multi-provider routing, retries, fallbacks, caching, and observability
What sets it apart: It combines an OpenAI-compatible endpoint with broad provider routing, quota-aware failover, token compression, and a maintained free-tier catalog.
Best for: Developers building agents or coding workflows across multiple model providers; Teams seeking a single OpenAI-compatible endpoint with provider failover; Users managing multiple provider quotas and free tiers
7. Astra Assistant API
Drop in replacement for the OpenAI Assistants API
What sets it apart: Drop-in OpenAI Assistants API v2 replacement supporting 30+ LLM providers via LiteLLM, backed by AstraDB vector storage
Best for: openai-assistant-api-with-alternative-llms; multi-provider-assistant-apps; astradb-users
8. OpenLLM
Run any open-source LLMs, such as DeepSeek and Llama, as OpenAI compatible API endpoint in the cloud.
What sets it apart: Unlike Ollama which focuses on local/desktop usage, OpenLLM bridges local development and cloud production through unified BentoML tooling — providing the same CLI workflow from laptop to Kubernetes cluster with OpenAI API compatibility
Best for: Teams wanting the fastest path from model selection to OpenAI-compatible API endpoint; DevOps engineers deploying open-source LLMs to production with Docker/Kubernetes
FAQ
- What are the best alternatives to OpenLM?
- The closest open-source alternatives to OpenLM are LiteLLM, llm.ts and Go OpenAI, followed by OpenAI Python, Bifrost AI Gateway and OmniRoute. They are ranked by how closely they match what OpenLM does.
- Which OpenLM alternative is the most popular?
- OmniRoute has the most GitHub stars among OpenLM alternatives, with 72,229 stars.
- Which OpenLM alternative is the most actively maintained?
- By recent activity, LiteLLM (13,191 commits in the last 90 days) is the most actively developed alternative.