kitio.aiManifest vs Bifrost
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Manifest starts at $19/mo and Bifrost starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Multi-provider routing
- Automatic failure recovery
- Local model support
- Usage and cost tracking
- Self-hosted or cloud
- Drop-in SDK replacement
- Multi-provider routing
- Budgets and virtual keys
- Guardrails
- MCP gateway
- OpenTelemetry metrics and traces
| Feature | Manifest | Bifrost |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source LLM gateway that routes agents to any provider | Open-source AI gateway for routing, governing and monitoring LLM calls |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $19/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Manifest | Maxim AI |
| Based in | – | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
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Both offer: Multi-provider routing.
Pricing compared
Manifest starts at $19/mo and Bifrost starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Self-hosted
Free
- Unlimited routed requests
- All providers and local models
- Community support on Discord
Manifest Cloud
$19/mo
- Hosted gateway
- Same-day updates
- Servers and uptime managed
Enterprise
Contact sales
- On-premise or VPC
- SSO and audit logs
- Support contract
2 plans
OSS
Free
- Self-hosted via Docker, K8s or binary
- Drop-in SDK replacement
- OTel metrics and traces
- Community support
Enterprise
Contact sales
- 14-day free trial
- Licensed enterprise features
Prices in USD, checked Oct 29, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Manifest
- Free self-hosting with no request limits
- Works with subscriptions and local models
- Code is open for review
- No free tier on the hosted cloud
- Community-only support when self-hosted
Bifrost
- Free open-source self-hosted version
- One-line switch from provider SDKs
- Low added latency per request
- Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
- Self-hosting needs ops work
- Governance features sit in Enterprise
Which one should you choose?
Choose Manifest if you want:
- Free self-hosting with no request limits
- Works with subscriptions and local models
- Code is open for review
Watch out: no free tier on the hosted cloud.
Choose Bifrost if you want:
- Free open-source self-hosted version
- One-line switch from provider SDKs
- Low added latency per request
Watch out: enterprise pricing requires contacting sales.
Manifest vs Bifrost FAQ
What is the difference between Manifest and Bifrost?
Manifest: Open-source LLM gateway that routes agents to any provider. Bifrost: Open-source AI gateway for routing, governing and monitoring LLM calls. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Manifest or Bifrost cheaper?
Manifest starts at $19/mo and Bifrost starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Manifest and Bifrost have free plans?
Manifest: Yes. Bifrost: Yes.
Who makes Manifest?
Manifest is made by Manifest.
Who makes Bifrost?
Bifrost is made by Maxim AI.
Which should I choose, Manifest or Bifrost?
Choose Manifest if you value free self-hosting with no request limits and works with subscriptions and local models. Choose Bifrost if you value free open-source self-hosted version and one-line switch from provider sdks.