LiteLLM is a free, self-hosted proxy that unifies 100+ LLM providers behind one API and logs spend per key, user, and team. It's powerful, but production use means running and maintaining your own proxy, database, and observability stack. AI Control Center is a hosted dashboard — connect your existing provider keys directly, no proxy or infrastructure required.
| Feature | AI Control Center | LiteLLM |
|---|---|---|
| Integration method | Direct provider connection, no proxy | Proxy-based — your app must route calls through the LiteLLM gateway |
| Infrastructure required | None — fully hosted | Self-hosted proxy plus Postgres/Redis for key & spend tracking |
| Cost optimizer recommendations | Model-level suggestions with $ savings | Spend logs and budget caps, no optimization suggestions |
| Observability | Built-in provider health, usage, and cost dashboards | Ships without production observability — pair with Prometheus/Grafana or Datadog |
| Pricing | Flat plans based on usage | Free open-source core; Enterprise from ~$250/mo, plus your own hosting costs |
| Best for | Teams that want cost visibility without running infrastructure | Teams that want a self-hosted routing layer and are comfortable maintaining it |
If you'd rather not run and maintain a proxy just to see what you're spending, AI Control Center gives you the same cost and provider visibility without the infrastructure.
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