LiteLLM or CData Connect AI? Choosing the Right Enterprise AI Gateway in 2026

LiteLLM is an open-source, self-hosted LLM proxy that provides an OpenAI-compatible interface for more than 100 model providers, with routing, cost tracking, rate limiting, budgets, caching, and broad observability integrations, while enterprise features such as SSO, advanced RBAC, and audit logs require a paid license. CData Connect AI is a managed enterprise AI and MCP gateway focused on live access to hundreds of business data sources, using passthrough identity to preserve each user’s source-system permissions and adding tool-level trust controls, audit capabilities, and a semantic Context Engine for business definitions and cross-source data relationships. The comparison argues that LiteLLM is best suited to teams prioritizing flexible multi-provider model routing and self-managed infrastructure, whereas CData Connect AI targets organizations needing governed agent access to regulated enterprise data, identity-aware permissions, and managed deployment. The platforms can be complementary, with LiteLLM handling model-layer routing and CData handling MCP-based data access, though the text also notes different compliance coverage, operational requirements, and a March 2026 LiteLLM package supply-chain incident.

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