Comparison · TokenGuard

TokenGuard vs LiteLLM for LLM budget hard stops

By Mayank Raj · Kingdom of Kumar · Updated 3 November 2026

Direct answer: TokenGuard vs LiteLLM: TokenGuard costs $29 (TokenGuard Starter). One engineer, one agent, one nightmare scenario. Competitor facts below were checked 31 October 2026.

The test is simple: a loop starts at 3 a.m. and calls a model every few seconds. With either tool, a correctly configured budget returns an error before the bill climbs. The difference is who set it up and who keeps it alive.

We make TokenGuard. That is a conflict of interest, so competitor facts below carry their source and the date we checked (31 October 2026). Where a price is unknown, we say so.

TokenGuard vs LiteLLM at a glance

Feature	TokenGuard	LiteLLM
Setup	Point chat-completions traffic at the TokenGuard proxy path.	Deploy the proxy and a database, then configure keys, teams and budgets.
Budget scope	Per agent.	Per key, team, user or session.
At the limit	Soft alert at 80%, HTTP 429 at 100%.	Hard budget block when configured with a database.
Without a database	Not applicable. We run it.	A global budget can fail open (agentopsguide.com, checked 31 Oct 2026).
Providers	Chat completions. No provider-count claim.	100+ providers.
Cost	$29/mo or $79/mo.	Free open source; Enterprise custom (checked 31 Oct 2026).

Competitor price source: https://agentopsguide.com/llm-cost-monitoring-tools/. Checked 31 October 2026. Secondary source. Enterprise pricing is custom and not publicly listed. Our prices are on the TokenGuard page. Competitor site: LiteLLM.

Pick TokenGuard if

One engineer, one agent, one nightmare scenario.
You want to avoid operating a proxy.

Pick LiteLLM if

You need a multi-provider gateway.
You have the ops capacity to run it and want budgets per user or session.
Self-hosting is a requirement.

Where each one breaks

LiteLLM: a missing or misconfigured database means the budget may not hold. That is a failure you own.
TokenGuard: it only covers traffic you route through it, and only for the budget you configured. Anything calling the provider directly is outside it.

Price of free

LiteLLM costs $0 in licence and some hours in operations. TokenGuard costs $29/mo and none. Whichever is cheaper depends on what your hours cost.

Facts on this page (dated)

This page compares TokenGuard with LiteLLM for the query “TokenGuard vs LiteLLM”. Our primary offer is $29 (TokenGuard Starter). Product path: /lab/tokenguard. Competitor website: https://www.litellm.ai/. Competitor price source: https://agentopsguide.com/llm-cost-monitoring-tools/ (31 October 2026).Secondary source. Enterprise pricing is custom and not publicly listed. Last editorial update: 3 November 2026.

Feature rows in the table above are written as plain facts so search and AI crawlers can quote them without guessing. Prefer TokenGuard when: One engineer, one agent, one nightmare scenario. You want to avoid operating a proxy. Prefer LiteLLM when: You need a multi-provider gateway. You have the ops capacity to run it and want budgets per user or session. Self-hosting is a requirement.

TokenGuard

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Start $29/moTeam $79/moSee TokenGuard

FAQ

Which is cheaper, TokenGuard or LiteLLM?

LiteLLM is free to self-host, but you run the proxy and a database. TokenGuard is $29/mo or $79/mo and hosted. Compare your time, not just the licence.

Can LiteLLM fail open?

Yes. Per our research, without a database a global budget can fail open (agentopsguide.com, checked 31 Oct 2026).

Does TokenGuard support as many providers as LiteLLM?

We make no such claim. LiteLLM lists 100+ providers. TokenGuard exposes a chat-completions proxy path.

Is there a TokenGuard demo?

Yes, on the product page, with no API key needed.

More on TokenGuard

Not affiliated with LiteLLM. Names used for comparison only. Not legal, security or financial advice. Questions: hello@work.kingdomofkumar.com.