Helicone / helicone.ai
Simple, lightweight LLM observability platform that logs AI API requests, tracks costs, and monitors latency with minimal integration overhead.
Free plan
Yes
API access
Yes
Open source
Yes
Platforms
2
Helicone is a lightweight LLM observability tool that prioritises ease of integration over feature depth. Where Langfuse and LangSmith require more setup investment for full value, Helicone can be integrated by changing a single API URL — routing OpenAI or Anthropic API calls through Helicone's proxy automatically captures all requests for logging and analysis.
The proxy-based architecture is Helicone's key design decision. Instead of adding SDK calls throughout application code, developers replace their OpenAI API base URL with Helicone's proxy URL and all subsequent requests are automatically logged, tracked for cost, and monitored for latency. For teams that want basic observability with minimal engineering overhead, this is the lowest-friction option available.
The dashboard shows request volume, cost breakdown by model, latency percentiles, error rates, and a log of every API request with full request and response content for debugging. For teams spending significant amounts on AI API costs, the cost visibility alone provides value by identifying inefficient prompts or unexpected usage patterns.
Caching is a practical feature that saves cost and latency by returning cached responses for identical or semantically similar requests. For applications with repetitive queries, caching can reduce API costs substantially.
Helicone is open source and can be self-hosted for teams with data privacy requirements that preclude routing production AI traffic through a third-party proxy. The cloud version is convenient for teams that do not have these constraints.
Helicone runs as ml platform software built around text and code workflows. Users typically start with a prompt, upload, or connected data source, and the underlying model handles the heavy lifting before returning a result you can refine or export. It's available on web and api proxy, with API access for teams that want to embed it into their own products.
The capabilities that matter most for teams evaluating Helicone.
Routes API calls through Helicone's proxy for automatic request logging without requiring SDK calls throughout application code.
Real-time dashboard showing API cost breakdown by model, endpoint, and time period for identifying expensive usage patterns.
Returns cached responses for semantically similar queries, reducing API costs for applications with frequently repeated questions.
Free plan with 100,000 requests/month. Pro $20/month with more requests and features. Teams and Enterprise custom pricing. Open source self-hosted option available.
Model
Open Source
Starting price
$20/mo
Free trial
No
Langfuse is open source with more comprehensive evaluation features. LangSmith provides deeper LangChain integration. Vellum combines observability with prompt management and deployment. Braintrust focuses on evaluation workflows.
A side-by-side look at the closest alternative in this category.
Key facts about model providers, platforms, and team support.
Model Provider
Agnostic
Platforms
Web, API proxy
Deployment
Open Source, SaaS
Integrations
OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, Any OpenAI-compatible API
Team Collaboration
No
Launch Year
2023
Compliance signals and data-handling notes as reported by the vendor.
Open source self-hosted provides complete data control. Cloud proxy: review Helicone's data handling policy. Production AI traffic routed through Helicone's infrastructure.
Cloud version routes all AI API traffic through Helicone's proxy. Review privacy implications for sensitive production data. Self-hosted option provides complete data control.
Editorial Verdict
Helicone is the fastest path to LLM observability for teams that want cost monitoring and request logging with minimal setup. For advanced evaluation, prompt management, and regression testing, Langfuse or Vellum are more comprehensive.
Last verified July 24, 2026.
For teams needing advanced evaluation, prompt management, or dataset curation, Langfuse or Vellum are more comprehensive. For straightforward cost monitoring and request logging with minimal setup, Helicone is the fastest path to LLM observability.
Free plan with 100,000 requests/month. Pro $20/month with more requests and features. Teams and Enterprise custom pricing. Open source self-hosted option available.
Free self-hosted (open source). Hobby cloud plan free. Pro cloud $59/month. Team $399/month. Enterprise custom pricing.
Open source self-hosted provides complete data control. Cloud proxy: review Helicone's data handling policy. Production AI traffic routed through Helicone's infrastructure.
Self-hosted: complete data control. Cloud: review Langfuse's data handling policy. Enterprise includes data processing agreements.
Cloud version routes all AI API traffic through Helicone's proxy. Review privacy implications for sensitive production data. Self-hosted option provides complete data control.
Self-hosted Langfuse keeps all trace data within your infrastructure. Cloud version processes trace data on Langfuse's servers. Review privacy policy for applications with sensitive user data.
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