Vercel AI Gateway vs NeuralRouting: Which Should You Choose in 2026?
Vercel launched its AI Gateway. But is it a full routing solution or just a convenience layer? We compare features, cost optimization, and production readiness.
NR
NeuralRouting Team
April 10, 2026
Vercel AI Gateway vs NeuralRouting: Which Should You Choose?
Vercel's AI Gateway entered the market as a natural extension of the Vercel ecosystem. If you're already deploying Next.js on Vercel, the appeal is obvious: integrated gateway, no extra vendor, minimal setup.
But there's a fundamental difference between a gateway (proxy + logging) and a router (intelligent model selection). This comparison examines where each excels.
You're 100% on Vercel and don't want another vendor
You manually select models per feature (e.g., GPT-4o for chat, GPT-4o-mini for suggestions)
You don't need cost optimization beyond basic caching
Your AI spend is < $100/month (optimization ROI is too small)
The gateway integrates smoothly with Vercel's edge network and AI SDK. For teams that want basic rate limiting and logging without leaving the Vercel ecosystem, it's a solid choice.
When to Choose NeuralRouting
NeuralRouting is the right choice when:
Cost optimization is a priority — Model Cascading delivers 60-85% savings automatically
You want quality guarantees — Shadow Engine validates every economy response
You need semantic caching — meaning-based deduplication catches 30%+ of repeated queries
You want platform independence — works anywhere, not just Vercel
Your AI spend is > $100/month — the savings justify the integration
Cost Comparison at Scale
For a Next.js app processing 25M tokens/month:
Cost Component
Vercel AI Gateway
NeuralRouting (Growth)
Gateway fee
$20/mo (Vercel Pro)
$89/mo
Model costs (all GPT-4o)
$312.50/mo
—
Model costs (routed)
—
$66.50/mo
Total
$332.50/mo
$155.50/mo
Annual
$3,990
$1,866
NeuralRouting costs more as a gateway ($89 vs $20) but saves $246/month in model costs through automatic routing. Net savings: $2,124/year.
The crossover point is around 5M tokens/month — below that, the gateway fee exceeds the routing savings.
Can You Use Both?
Yes. A pragmatic architecture for Vercel teams:
Use Vercel AI Gateway for features where you've chosen a specific model (e.g., GPT-4o for your premium chat)
Use NeuralRouting for features where cost optimization matters (e.g., support bot, content generation, classification)
The two aren't mutually exclusive. NeuralRouting is OpenAI SDK-compatible, so you can integrate it alongside Vercel's gateway without architectural conflicts.
Conclusion
Vercel AI Gateway is a solid convenience layer for the Vercel ecosystem. NeuralRouting is a cost optimization engine that works anywhere. If cost matters at your scale, the intelligent routing and semantic caching in NeuralRouting will pay for itself within the first month.