Composio vs Portkey AI Gateway
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
SDK for building AI agents that can take actions in 1000+ apps via pre-authenticated tools.
Open source · MIT
Open-source gateway that routes requests to many AI models through one API, with guardrails.
The short answer
Choose Composio if you need…
- Developers building AI agents that need to read or act in third-party apps
- Teams already using a supported agent framework such as OpenAI Agents, LangChain, or Vercel AI SDK
- Projects that want per-user scoping of app connections
- Developers who want to expose tools to MCP clients like Claude or Cursor
Choose Portkey AI Gateway if you need…
- Developers who call several LLM providers and want one OpenAI-style interface
- Teams that want automatic retries or fallbacks when a model provider fails
- Apps that need content checks on model replies using configurable guardrails
- Developers who want a local gateway with a console showing request logs
Side-by-side
| Composio | Portkey AI Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 30.9k | 13.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 6 months ago |
What each one is
Composio
Composio is a TypeScript and Python SDK, plus a command-line tool, that lets AI agents use external apps on a user's behalf. It provides pre-authenticated toolkits for over 1000 apps, per-user sessions, authentication, triggers, and a sandbox. Developers use it to connect an agent framework to real services such as email.
Portkey AI Gateway
Portkey's AI Gateway sits between your app and large language model providers. Your app sends requests to one API, and the gateway forwards them to the model provider you choose. The README says it adds routing, automatic retries, fallbacks, load balancing, and guardrails that check inputs or outputs, and it can be run locally or deployed.
Best for
Composio
- Developers building AI agents that need to read or act in third-party apps
- Teams already using a supported agent framework such as OpenAI Agents, LangChain, or Vercel AI SDK
- Projects that want per-user scoping of app connections
- Developers who want to expose tools to MCP clients like Claude or Cursor
Portkey AI Gateway
- Developers who call several LLM providers and want one OpenAI-style interface
- Teams that want automatic retries or fallbacks when a model provider fails
- Apps that need content checks on model replies using configurable guardrails
- Developers who want a local gateway with a console showing request logs
Strengths
Composio
- Broad coverage: the README lists 1000+ toolkits and many provider adapters for common agent frameworks
- Sessions load meta tools at runtime instead of hundreds of tool definitions, per the README
- Available in both TypeScript and Python with an MIT license
Portkey AI Gateway
- The README describes a small footprint and low latency, and it is MIT licensed
- Works with an OpenAI-compatible client, so existing code can be pointed at it with limited changes
- Supports several deployment options including Docker, Node.js, and Cloudflare Workers
Not ideal for
Composio
- Non-developers looking for a finished end-user app, since the README describes an SDK and CLI
- People who need a fully self-hosted setup, because the README's quickstart relies on a Composio API key and dashboard
- Projects needing a framework the README does not list as supported, which would require writing a custom provider
Portkey AI Gateway
- People who only call a single model from one provider and do not need routing, since the gateway adds a layer to manage
- Non-developers without experience running Node.js or calling APIs, since setup assumes familiarity with code
- Organizations needing enterprise features like org management, which the README places in a separate paid Enterprise version
Trade-offs
Composio
- Depends on a Composio account and API key for the quickstart, so you rely on a hosted service
- The README is truncated and gives limited detail on sandbox, triggers, and pricing
- Some providers are experimental, such as the Pi provider in @composio/experimental
Portkey AI Gateway
- Many headline numbers (model counts, latency, token volume) come from the README's own claims and were not independently verified here
- Some advanced features, such as enterprise governance and private deployments, are described as part of a separate Enterprise version
- The README mentions a Gateway 2.0 pre-release that is merging enterprise features into open source, so the project may change
Getting started
Composio
Install TypeScript SDK with OpenAI Agents provider
npm install @composio/core @composio/openai-agents @openai/agentsInstall Python SDK with OpenAI Agents provider
pip install composio composio-openai-agents openai-agentsPortkey AI Gateway
Run the gateway locally
npx @portkey-ai/gatewayInstall the Python client
pip install -qU portkey-aiFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Composio and Portkey AI Gateway?
Composio: SDK for building AI agents that can take actions in 1000+ apps via pre-authenticated tools. Portkey AI Gateway: Open-source gateway that routes requests to many AI models through one API, with guardrails. Composio suits developers building ai agents that need to read or act in third-party apps, while Portkey AI Gateway suits developers who call several llm providers and want one openai-style interface.
Are Composio and Portkey AI Gateway free?
Composio: Free and open source. Portkey AI Gateway: Free and open source.
Is Composio or Portkey AI Gateway more popular?
Composio has more GitHub stars (30.9k) than Portkey AI Gateway (13.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Composio and Portkey AI Gateway?
Other options people compare them with include LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, Botpress, promptfoo.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.