How Checkrd compares.
Checkrd is a control plane for AI agents. Observability tools record what happened. Gateways route between providers. We do something different. Here’s the honest table, and the cases where another tool is the better choice.
Which tool do you actually need?
Most teams buy this category for one of three jobs. Pick yours and skip the matrix.
Question 1
Do you need to block a call before it leaves your app?
If yes:
Checkrd
Observability tools watch; gateways route. Only Checkrd enforces, in-process.
Question 2
Do you need to route between LLM providers or cache responses?
If yes:
AI gateway (Cloudflare, Portkey, Kong)
Gateways live at the edge. Many teams run a gateway and Checkrd: routing at the edge, governance in the app.
Question 3
Do you need to iterate on prompts, evals, or datasets?
If yes:
LLM observability (Langfuse, Helicone, LangSmith)
Purpose-built for prompt iteration. Pair with Checkrd: they analyze trace content, Checkrd enforces and audits.
Block requests before they go out
- LLM observability
- ×
- AI gateway
- ×
- Checkrd
Trace every call
- LLM observability
- AI gateway
- Checkrd
Kill switch (sub-second cloud, polled air-gap)
- LLM observability
- ×
- AI gateway
- ×
- Checkrd
Cryptographically signed telemetry batches
- LLM observability
- ×
- AI gateway
- ×
- Checkrd
Rate limit by request body (per model, per user)
- LLM observability
- partial
- AI gateway
- rarely
- Checkrd
Stores prompts and completions for replay
- LLM observability
- AI gateway
- ×
- Checkrd
- ×by design
Sees prompts in transit
- LLM observability
- AI gateway
- Checkrd
- ×never
Routes between LLM providers
- LLM observability
- ×
- AI gateway
- Checkrd
- ×
Caches responses
- LLM observability
- ×
- AI gateway
- Checkrd
- ×
Evals, datasets, prompt management
- LLM observability
- AI gateway
- ×
- Checkrd
- ×
Runs inside your application
- LLM observability
- ×
- AI gateway
- ×
- Checkrd
Open-source core
- LLM observability
- varies
- AI gateway
- varies
- Checkrd
Air-gap deployment
- LLM observability
- ×
- AI gateway
- ×
- Checkrd
Two cases where you should pick something else.
Langfuse · Helicone · LangSmith · Phoenix · Braintrust
If your work is iterating on prompts, comparing models, or building evaluation suites, an observability tool is purpose-built for that. Many teams run both. Checkrd enforces policy and keeps the audit log; the observability tool analyzes trace content where retention is acceptable.
Cloudflare AI Gateway · Portkey · Kong AI plugins
If you want provider routing, response caching, or caller-level rate limiting at the edge, an AI gateway is purpose-built for that. Checkrd is a different shape: a governance layer inside your application, not a routing fabric. The two work well together. The gateway handles routing and caching, Checkrd handles policy, audit, and the kill switch.
When Checkrd isn’t the right fit.
A shorter list than most vendor sites publish. Worth reading before you install.
Single-agent prototypes
If you have one agent and you haven't shipped to production yet, a hard-coded allowlist in your application is probably enough. Come back when you have two agents, two teams, or a compliance question to answer.
Pure prompt-iteration workflows
If your day is writing, diffing, and evaluating prompts, an observability platform fits the job better. Checkrd doesn't replace eval tooling.
Zero compliance surface
If you have no CISO, no auditor, no regulated customers, and no plans to add any of the three, governance is probably not what you need today.
Still the right fit?
The SDK is on PyPI and npm. Email us if your deployment needs VPC, air-gap, or a vendor-review packet.