A budget caps dollars over a window and answers 402; a rate limit caps RPM/TPM right now and answers 429. Here is how to classify the risk, set each control in the dashboard, and write client code that tells the three rejections apart.
Vendor-neutral buyer's-guide decision tree across the three durable LLM routing-intelligence shapes — benchmark-anchored (Unify-style), ML-classifier (NotDiamond-style), and operator-controlled (nRouter-style). Three questions, one shape, one product. Pick the failure mode your team is best equipped to own.
Eight axes that actually matter when picking an LLM gateway in 2026. Shortlist matrix across OpenRouter, Portkey, Helicone, nRouter. Decision tree by buyer profile, 90-minute evaluation.
