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 (13,238 commits in the last 90 days).
- Fastest growing: OmniRoute (+11,241 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.
By package downloads OpenAI Python is the most used here (284.2M in the last 30 days), even though OmniRoute has the most GitHub stars. See all agent tools by downloads.
| Tool | GitHub stars | Stars / 30d | Last commit | Downloads / 30d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenLM(original) | 368 | 0 | 2023-05-19 | 713 |
| LiteLLM | 60.1k | +2,982 | 2026-10-03 | 89.4M |
| llm.ts | 213 | 0 | 2023-05-09 | — |
| Go OpenAI | 10.8k | +28 | 2026-09-29 | — |
| OpenAI Python | 31.7k | +220 | 2026-10-02 | 284.2M |
| Bifrost AI Gateway | 8.5k | +830 | 2026-10-03 | — |
| OmniRoute | 72.5k | +11,241 | 2026-10-02 | 232.6K |
| Astra Assistant API | 207 | 0 | 2025-08-18 | — |
| OpenLLM | 12.6k | +53 | 2026-05-29 | 1.2K |
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 72,500 stars.
- Which OpenLM alternative is the most actively maintained?
- By recent activity, LiteLLM (13,238 commits in the last 90 days) is the most actively developed alternative.
Maintain OpenLM or one of these alternatives?
Each tool page has a maintainer box: a README badge with your live rank and stars, or a homepage + category feature for $49 / 7 days.
OpenLM · LiteLLM · llm.ts · Go OpenAI · OpenAI Python · Bifrost AI Gateway