Meter vs Portkey for Claude Code
Portkey is an AI gateway with observability, caching and guardrails across many providers; Palo Alto Networks closed its acquisition on 29 May 2026. Here is how it differs from Meter, and when it is the better choice.
| What we compare | Portkey | Meter |
|---|---|---|
| Spend per developer | PartlyBy _user metadata the client sends with each request. | YesBy each developer’s Meter key, with no headers from the client. |
| Spend per repository | NoNot documented. | YesAutomatically, from the agent’s working directory or an X-Meter-Repo header. |
| A spend limit that stops a developer | PartlyA per-key limit — on Enterprise and for select Pro customers; the key expires when it is hit. | PartlyA monthly budget per team and per developer: warns on every plan, blocks on Control. |
| Security flags on agent actions | NoNo rules specific to coding-agent actions. | YesAccess to .env and keys, pushes to protected branches, destructive git, exfiltration. |
| Approval of risky actions | NoNot documented. | YesAn admin approves from the dashboard; on the Control plan. |
| Rules on agent actions | PartlyA request-parameters check can allow or block tools; the other guardrails are about content (PII, moderation). | PartlyRepository and path rules at the gateway: a guard against mistakes, not deliberate evasion. |
| Doesn’t store prompt and response text | NoLogs requests and responses; a DO NOT TRACK header turns it off. | YesMetadata, and the paths and commands from tool calls, with secrets masked. |
| SSO sign-in | PartlyOn Enterprise. | NoNot yet: email and password, Google or GitHub. |
| Model providers | YesMany providers, routing, fallbacks, simple caching on every plan. | PartlyThe Anthropic API and Ollama cloud. |
| Claude Pro, Max subscriptions | YesStates Max and OAuth support for Claude Code. | NoAPI keys only. |
| Deployment | YesHosted; the open-source gateway is MIT. | YesHosted, or self-hosted with a Helm chart. |
Choose Portkey if
- you need a gateway for many providers with routing, fallbacks and caching;
- you need deep observability: full request logs, traces, prompt management;
- content guardrails matter — PII, moderation, prompt injection — and so does Palo Alto’s security ecosystem;
- your team runs on a Max subscription.
Choose Meter if
- you want per-developer budgets on a $20-a-seat plan, not on Enterprise;
- you don’t want prompt and code text kept in logs;
- you need spend by repository and flags on agent actions;
- you need approval of risky actions.
Use both
Portkey can stay the gateway for your applications while developers’ Claude Code goes through Meter: different variables, different keys.