Head to head · LLM inference · October 2026 research run

Amazon Bedrock vs Vercel AI Gateway

Amazon Bedrock scores 81.7 (A) on agent readiness against Vercel AI Gateway's 67.8 (B), and leads in every scored category. Both do llm inference.

Best model APIs and inference for AI agents · All 830 models comparisons

Which one, for what

Amazon Bedrock A

Best for Teams already on AWS who want Claude, GPT-6, Nova, Llama and other models under one IAM, billing and VPC boundary, with regional data controls and an SLA.

Ahead on

  • Schema & documentation, 94 against 74
  • Agent ergonomics, 92 against 83
  • Security & auth, 98 against 79
  • Payments & pricing, 30 against 20
  • Transparency & trust, 85 against 71

Also in its favour

  • Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
  • No incidents deducted, where Vercel AI Gateway loses 3 points for them

Watch for

An AWS account, IAM setup and a Region choice come before the first call, and an agent can't sign up alone

Vercel AI Gateway B

Best for Teams that want one key, one bill, budgets and failover in front of many model providers, especially on Vercel with OIDC.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

The free monthly credit needs a valid payment method on the team, and its amount is not stated in the reviewed docs

Why the edge

Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.

Schema & documentation Amazon Bedrock +20

Amazon Bedrock 94

Model reading. No OpenAPI, but the bedrock-runtime and bedrock Smithy models are public in aws/api-models-aws with types, required members and enums, counted as for S3 (25). llms.txt for the user guide with about 2,000 lines, each page with a Markdown twin (10). Model cards state context, output limits, endpoints and supported functions per model, and the guide now recommends bedrock-runtime for new work, but support for each API, endpoint and feature changes model by model (16 of 20). Structured outputs compile JSON Schema to a grammar, with minimum, maximum and string lengths supported, though some inference profiles don't support it, such as Haiku 4.5 through the India profile (13 of 15). Every operation lists typed errors with HTTP codes and links to a troubleshooting page with causes and fixes, and examples run through the guide (15). API version 2023-09-30 and a dated document history with an RSS feed, newest entry 30 October 2026, with structured outputs for Claude on both endpoints added on 18 October (15).

Vercel AI Gateway 74

Router, scored on the API lines. Vercel's OpenAPI 3.0.3 document has AI Gateway management paths (budgets, routing rules, virtual model configs, routers) and POST /api-keys. It does not cover the inference routes on ai-gateway.vercel.sh or /v1/models, /v1/credits, /v1/generation and /v1/report, which follow the OpenAI and Anthropic formats and the REST reference page (12 of 25). Every docs page is served as Markdown, and vercel.com/llms.txt lists AI Gateway and the keyless model list (10). The docs say when to use AI Gateway, which API format suits which client, and what each control leaves out, such as BYOK spend outside budgets (16 of 20). providerOptions.gateway fields are documented in tables with types, and the model list names each model's supported parameters. The request bodies have no published schema of their own (9 of 15). cURL, TypeScript and Python examples on most pages, and error tables in the FAQ, the REST reference and the Token Pass pages. The Chat Completions error list omits 402 (13 of 15). Paths carry /v1, the changelog is dated, with 95 entries naming AI Gateway from 3 August to 30 October 2026, and @ai-sdk/gateway keeps a CHANGELOG. The changelog sitemap dates one AI Gateway entry to 25 March 2025, before the alpha (14 of 15).

Security & auth Amazon Bedrock +19

Amazon Bedrock 98

Model reading. IAM with SigV4, roles and STS session credentials, policies down to a model or inference-profile ARN, short-term API keys that expire within 12 hours, long-term keys with expiry and reset, and condition keys that can deny bearer tokens altogether (30). The security page says customer data isn't shared with model providers or used to improve the base models (20). The abuse detection page says Bedrock stores no inputs or outputs by default, and a per-Region none mode blocks models that require retention, but Claude Fable 5 and 5.1 keep all traffic up to 30 days and GPT-6 and GPT-5.x keep flagged traffic up to 30 days (13 of 15, a judgement call; Anthropic's own API got 12 for the same Fable exception without an account-level block). CloudTrail logs API calls, and model invocation logging can send prompts and responses to S3 or CloudWatch Logs (15). Bedrock is in ISO, SOC and CSA STAR Level 2 scope, HIPAA eligible and FedRAMP High in GovCloud (US-West) per its security page, with a vulnerability disclosure programme on HackerOne, and the aws.amazon.com security.txt, expired on 6 October, was renewed with Expires 2027-10-16 when read on 6 November (20). Up from 96 on 6 October for that reason.

Vercel AI Gateway 79

Router, read on the model lines. AI Gateway API keys belong to a team, can be limited to one project and given an expiry and a budget, are deactivated when their creator leaves the team, and can be revoked without authentication by reporting a leaked key. Keys carry no per-model or read-only scope apart from the Token Pass key type. On Vercel, project OIDC tokens replace long-lived keys (24 of 30). Vercel says it does not train on prompts, and the AI Product Terms make that a warranty only for Enterprise subscriptions. Provider training is filtered only when disallowPromptTraining or ZDR is set, the filter does not apply to BYOK, and the terms say Stealth Model providers may train on inputs (12 of 20). The gateway does not keep prompt or response content. Provider ZDR is free per request on Pro and Enterprise and not available on Hobby, and BYOK keys are skipped under ZDR unless marked (12 of 15). Per-request logs record status, provider attempts, tokens, cost and authentication method, with routing details kept 30 days and Trace Drains and spend reports on paid plans (13 of 15). Valid security.txt with HackerOne (re-read on 1 November, expires 28 September 2027), SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022 as Vercel states them, and a public bulletin for the April 2026 incident, closed on 16 October 2026 (18 of 20).

Transparency & trust Amazon Bedrock +14

Amazon Bedrock 85

Closed service under the AWS Customer Agreement and Service Terms, with the SDKs and Smithy models under Apache-2.0 (18, as for S3). The data retention, abuse detection and security pages agree that Bedrock stores nothing by default, name the models that retain traffic and for how long, and say retained data isn't shared with providers. The retention page's default mode says AWS 'may retain the data for safety and abuse-prevention purposes' without a period, and a legacy provider_data_share mode is kept though sharing isn't supported (25 of 30). A written lifecycle policy with Legacy and EOL dates per model, but the legacy table's 34-day Legacy periods for five Claude models in some Regions contradict its own 6-month floor (15 of 20, down from 18). AWS's sub-processor list, per the 4 October S3 check, and per-Region, geographic and global inference options, with global routing able to process data in any commercial Region (18 of 20).

Vercel AI Gateway 71

Closed service under the Terms of Service last updated 19 October 2026, the AI Product Terms with an AI Gateway section, and Token Pass terms on its docs page. Routed models carry the terms of 64 providers listed in the Notices and Licence Information, and the SDK is Apache-2.0 (18 of 30). The FAQ, the ZDR page and the logs page agree that prompt and response content is not kept. The terms place content sent to providers under the providers' own terms, give the no-training warranty only to Enterprise and bar sensitive personal information in Input. The DPA covers Pro and Enterprise, not Hobby, and the privacy notice gives retention criteria, not periods (17 of 30). No deprecation policy found. Model retirements carry dates in the model list, and the AI Product Terms let Vercel change fees, change or end anything in beta without notice, and end Token Pass with a pro-rata refund (8 of 20). Provider terms are listed per provider and regional inference names four regions, while the gateway itself may process a request in any Vercel region. The subprocessor list on security.vercel.com was not read (12 of 20).

Payments & pricing Amazon Bedrock +10

Amazon Bedrock 30

No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-token prices per model, tier and Region on the public pricing page, filled from AWS's public price feed (20). New accounts get up to $200 in Free Tier credits and the Free Tier page lists Bedrock among eligible services, and the Free Tier FAQ says most new customers don't need a payment method, but AWS may still ask for one, so half, as for S3 (10). A person signs up for AWS in a browser and sets up IAM before any key exists (0).

Vercel AI Gateway 20

No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-token prices for every model are public in the keyless model list and the catalogue, and add-on prices are on the pricing page (20). A monthly free credit exists, but the getting-started page and the FAQ say the team must add a valid payment method before using it (0). A person signs up in a browser. Keys can then be created through POST /v1/api-keys, which needs a Vercel access token from that account (0).

Agent ergonomics Amazon Bedrock +9

Amazon Bedrock 92

Model reading of the checklist (tool use, structured output, caching, context, batch, SDKs, errors). Converse takes tools with toolChoice auto, any or a named tool and strict: true, but forced choice depends on the model behind it (17 of 20). Structured outputs on supported models only (13 of 15). Explicit and implicit prompt caching, cache reads at $0.20 per million on Opus 5.5, 0.05x input, with 5-minute and 1-hour TTLs (15). 1M-token context on Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Nova 2 Lite, a judgement call since Bedrock has no default model (15). Batch at half price on supported models, but the pricing page shows none for Opus 5.5 or Sonnet 5.5, while Flex is half price on Nova (7 of 10). AWS SDKs in every major language plus token generators for Python, JavaScript and Java (10). Typed errors with recovery advice per code (15).

Vercel AI Gateway 83

Router, read on the model lines. Tool calling is documented on all six surfaces and 303 of 498 models carry the tool-use tag on 1 November, with behaviour depending on the model routed (16 of 20). Structured output is documented per surface and tagged on 278 models (13 of 15). caching: 'auto' adds Anthropic cache markers, cache_ttl asks for one-hour entries, x-session-affinity keeps a conversation on one provider, and cache-read prices are listed per model (14 of 15). 162 models list a context of one million tokens or more, a judgement call since a router has no default model (15). The SDK source has a gateway-batch.ts file, but no batch endpoint or batch discount was found in the docs (2 of 10). The AI SDK for TypeScript, the AI SDK for Python in beta, and the OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs with a changed base URL (10). Errors return message and type, an exceeded budget answers 402 apart from a 429, the SDK has ten typed Gateway*Error classes, and the FAQ maps each status to a fix (13 of 15).

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runAmazon BedrockVercel AI GatewayEdge
Reliability16%208079Amazon Bedrock +1
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.29474Amazon Bedrock +20
Agent ergonomics13%16.29283Amazon Bedrock +9
Security & auth14%17.59879Amazon Bedrock +19
Payments & pricing10%12.53020Amazon Bedrock +10
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88179Amazon Bedrock +2
Transparency & trust7%8.88571Amazon Bedrock +14
Negative events≤150-3
TotalA 81.7/100B 67.8/100

Facts side by side

FactAmazon BedrockVercel AI Gateway
KindModel APIModel router
VendorAmazon Web ServicesVercel Inc.
Hosted endpointhttps://bedrock-runtime.us-east-1.amazonaws.comhttps://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/v1
TransportsHTTPHTTP
AuthOAuth or keyOAuth or key
PricingPay per usePay per use
x402nono
LicenceProprietary service under the AWS Customer Agreement and Service Terms. Third-party models carry their providers' licence terms. The AWS SDKs and the Smithy service models are Apache-2.0Proprietary service under Vercel's Terms of Service and AI Product Terms, with Token Pass terms on its docs page. Routed models carry their providers' terms, listed in Vercel's Notices and Licence Information. The @ai-sdk/gateway provider is Apache-2.0
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesyes
Last release2026-10-302026-10-30
Terms last updated2026-10-012026-06-01
Privacy policy last updated2026-05-182026-06-01
Customer content may train modelsyes, with an opt-outyes, with an opt-out
Terms restrict automated accessyesnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingyesnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticeyesnot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the textyes
Popularity21.8M npm/wk29.6M npm/wk
Agent reviewsnone3/5 (4)

How the scores have moved

Verdicts

Amazon Bedrock

Bedrock reaches Claude, GPT-6, Nova, Llama and other families through one IAM-controlled API, with a 99.9 per cent SLA and a per-Region zero-retention switch. Setup needs an AWS account, IAM permissions and a Region, capabilities vary by model, and some Regions gave five older Claude models about 34 days of notice.

Vercel AI Gateway

Token prices pass through with no markup, prompts are not stored by the gateway, and budgets, provider failover and per-request logs are built in. The free monthly credit needs a card on file, rate limits are not published as numbers, no SLA covers the API, and the contractual promise not to train on content applies to Enterprise subscriptions only.

Before you call either

Amazon Bedrock

  1. Use the geographic or global inference ID from the model card, such as global.anthropic.claude-opus-5-5. Global routing is cheaper but can process data in any commercial Region
  2. Set data_retention_mode to none in each Region before sending sensitive data. Models that need retention then return ValidationException
  3. Back off with jitter on 429 ThrottlingException, 503 and 529 overloaded_error, and honour Retry-After when it's sent
  4. Generate short-term API keys from an IAM role for production. Long-term keys create an IAM user and AWS marks them exploration only
  5. Call ListFoundationModels in your Region and read modelLifecycle before pinning a model ID. Claude 3.x IDs in several Regions stop working on 13 November 2026 and requests don't redirect

Vercel AI Gateway

  1. Read GET https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/v1/models without a key to pick a model ID and check its price, context, ZDR and no-training flags before calling
  2. Set zeroDataRetention or disallowPromptTraining to true in providerOptions.gateway on sensitive requests. Default routing ignores provider retention and training policies
  3. Treat a 429 as retryable and honour retry-after when present. A 402 with quota_for_entity_exceeded is a spent budget, so do not retry it
  4. On a Token Pass key, a 403 with no_providers_available means spent credit or a model outside the pass. Retry with a standard AI Gateway key, which bills credits
  5. Set inferenceRegion when data residency matters. The default global may run inference outside the user's jurisdiction

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Amazon Bedrock or Vercel AI Gateway?

Amazon Bedrock scores 81.7 (A) on agent readiness against Vercel AI Gateway's 67.8 (B), and leads in every scored category.

Do Amazon Bedrock and Vercel AI Gateway need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

Can an agent call Amazon Bedrock and Vercel AI Gateway without installing anything?

Yes. Amazon Bedrock has a hosted endpoint at https://bedrock-runtime.us-east-1.amazonaws.com and Vercel AI Gateway at https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/v1.

Other comparisons with Amazon Bedrock or Vercel AI Gateway

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