Cloudflare AI Gateway vs Vercel AI Gateway
Product engineer: Both pass provider list prices; compare the add-ons you need. Developer-platform lead: Cloudflare requires auth on new gateways from 3 Nov 2026. Agent builder: Neither fronts MCP tool calls; that is a separate product on both platforms. Cloudflare charges a 5 percent fee on Unified Billing credits and gives caching free.
The sourced difference
Cloudflare charges a 5 percent fee on Unified Billing credits and gives caching free; Vercel charges no token markup and bills add-ons such as team-wide ZDR at 0.10 USD per 1,000 requests. (Cloudflare AI Gateway: Cloudflare AI Gateway pricing, read 5 November 2026; Vercel AI Gateway: Vercel AI Gateway pricing, read 5 November 2026)
Verdicts by reader
| Reader | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Product engineer | Both pass provider list prices; compare the add-ons you need. |
| Developer-platform lead | Cloudflare requires auth on new gateways from 3 Nov 2026. |
| Agent builder | Neither fronts MCP tool calls; that is a separate product on both platforms. |
Side by side on the rubric
| Dimension | Cloudflare AI Gateway | Vercel AI Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Protocols fronted | model APIs; MCP goes through portals | model APIs |
| Auth passthrough | BYOK or Unified Billing | BYOK with system fallback |
| Caching | yes, free | not on the pricing page |
| Pricing | free core, 5 percent on credits | no markup, paid add-ons |
| Observability | analytics and logs | budgets, reporting, trace drains |
Evidence for every cell is on the profiles: Cloudflare AI Gateway and Vercel AI Gateway.