Botpress 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
Open-source tools to build and deploy chatbots and LLM agents, centred on Botpress Cloud.
Open source · MIT
Open-source gateway that routes requests to many AI models through one API, with guardrails.
The short answer
Choose Botpress if you need…
- Developers who want to write integrations and bots as TypeScript code using the Botpress CLI and SDK
- Teams already using Botpress Cloud who want to publish or deploy their own integrations
- Developers who want to read example bots built only with the SDK and CLI
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
| Botpress | Portkey AI Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 15k | 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 | 6 days ago | 6 months ago |
What each one is
Botpress
This repository holds the open-source parts of Botpress Cloud: integrations, developer tools (a CLI, an SDK and an API client), and some example bots written as code. Botpress is described as a platform for building chatbots and assistants powered by OpenAI. The README says the visual Botpress Studio is the recommended way to build bots, and the code-based approach is mainly for experienced developers.
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
Botpress
- Developers who want to write integrations and bots as TypeScript code using the Botpress CLI and SDK
- Teams already using Botpress Cloud who want to publish or deploy their own integrations
- Developers who want to read example bots built only with the SDK and CLI
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
Botpress
- Released under the MIT license, so the code can be reused and modified freely
- Uses TypeScript and a typed SDK and API client, which helps catch errors early
- Includes a CLI for the full integration workflow: create, deploy and publish
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
Botpress
- Non-programmers who want a no-code chatbot builder: the README says the Studio is recommended over building bots as code
- People looking for the on-premise Botpress v12 product: the README sends those users to a separate v12 repository
- Anyone needing a self-contained local chatbot: the README focuses on Botpress Cloud workflows and does not describe a standalone self-hosted setup
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
Botpress
- The README marks plugins as coming soon, so that part is not yet available
- Code-first bot building is described by the authors as not the recommended route for most users
- Setup and terminology depend on the Botpress Cloud service, so the project is tied to that platform
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
Botpress
Install the Botpress CLI (npm)
npm install -g @botpress/cliCreate a new integration
bp initPortkey 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 Botpress and Portkey AI Gateway?
Botpress: Open-source tools to build and deploy chatbots and LLM agents, centred on Botpress Cloud. Portkey AI Gateway: Open-source gateway that routes requests to many AI models through one API, with guardrails. Botpress suits developers who want to write integrations and bots as typescript code using the botpress cli and sdk, while Portkey AI Gateway suits developers who call several llm providers and want one openai-style interface.
Are Botpress and Portkey AI Gateway free?
Botpress: Free and open source. Portkey AI Gateway: Free and open source.
Is Botpress or Portkey AI Gateway more popular?
Botpress has more GitHub stars (15k) 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 Botpress and Portkey AI Gateway?
Other options people compare them with include LangChain, Prompt flow, Composio, claude-context, Desktop Commander.
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.