Helicone

Helicone brings together a model gateway and tools for understanding AI application requests. It is a strong fit for teams that need cross-provider routing and detailed LLM observability, but its maintenance-mode status makes it a cautious choice for new, long-term deployments.

Overview

Helicone connects applications to more than 100 models through the OpenAI SDK: changing the model name is enough to select a different model. Its gateway adds load balancing, automatic failovers, and response caching across providers, while request logs and interaction visualizations help teams diagnose behavior. That range is compelling for teams that want routing and observability in one place, though maintenance mode limits the case for relying on it as a platform under active development. Helicone says its services remain live, with security updates, new models, and bug and performance fixes continuing after its acquisition by Mintlify.

Key features

Real-time request logging and visualizations of multi-step LLM interactions make it easier to follow a request through an application and investigate errors. Integrations include OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, LiteLLM, Anyscale, Together AI, and OpenRouter. Helicone also supports cost and token tracking, LLM evaluations, prompt management, agent tracing, and retrieval tracing, giving teams a broad set of monitoring tools alongside the gateway.

For LangGraph users, the integration tracks LLM calls, sessions, performance metrics, and costs. The API cost calculator covers more than 300 models and providers, which can help compare usage costs across a broad selection. Helicone describes itself as open source and invites community contributions; its listed support is through GitHub and Discord.

Self-hosting is available through single-click deployment or a production-ready Helm chart, useful for customers who want the service in their own infrastructure. Helicone states that its cloud is SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliant. The Team plan explicitly includes SOC-2 and HIPAA compliance; readers with compliance requirements should compare that plan's terms with their needs.

Pricing

Helicone is freemium, with a 7-day free trial that requires no credit card. The plans pair request allowances with storage, retention, ingestion, and API-call limits, so the right tier depends on both volume and how long a team needs to keep its logs.

Hobby — free: includes 10,000 free requests, 1 GB storage, 1 seat, 1 organization, 7 days of retention, and ingestion capped at 10 logs/min. It is a low-cost way for an individual or small project to try the service, but the single seat and short retention constrain team use and historical investigation.

Pro — $79 a month, billed per month: includes 10,000 free requests plus usage-based pricing, unlimited seats, 1 organization, 1 month of retention, 1,000 logs/min ingestion, and 10 API calls/min. It suits a team that needs more ingestion capacity and shared access, but usage-based charges and the single-organization limit matter as activity grows.

Team — $799 a month, billed per month: includes 10,000 free requests plus usage-based pricing, unlimited seats, 5 organizations, 3 months of retention, 15,000 logs/min ingestion, 60 API calls/min, and SOC-2 and HIPAA compliance. Its higher limits and longer retention are aimed at larger or compliance-conscious teams; the substantial monthly price is difficult to justify for modest workloads.

Enterprise — custom pricing: includes a custom MSA, SAML SSO, on-prem deployment, bulk cloud discounts, unlimited seats and organizations, and forever retention. It is the tier to consider when those deployment, access, or retention terms are necessary, but the price is negotiated.

Platforms

Helicone supports API, web, and self-hosted deployment. Its self-hosted options suit teams that want deployment in their own infrastructure, while cloud users can choose among the listed monthly plans.

Who it's for

Helicone is best suited to developers and teams building AI applications across multiple model providers who want routing, request-level debugging, and cost visibility together. Its breadth is useful for tracing LLM, agent, and retrieval activity. Teams choosing a foundation for sustained product development should weigh maintenance mode against that convenience; teams that need a service actively developing new capabilities may prefer another option.

Pros and cons

Pro: One gateway reaches more than 100 models through the OpenAI SDK and provides load balancing, failovers, and caching across providers.

Pro: Request logs, multi-step interaction views, tracing, and cost tools cover several parts of AI application operations in one service.

Pro: Self-hosting, including a production-ready Helm chart, gives infrastructure-conscious teams a deployment choice beyond cloud.

Con: Maintenance mode means the service continues with fixes and security updates, but is a less compelling bet for teams seeking an actively developed long-term platform.

Con: The Hobby tier allows only 1 seat, 1 GB storage, and 7 days of retention; broader team use starts at $79 a month and adds usage-based pricing.

Con: The $799 a month Team plan is a steep step up from Pro, even though it brings much higher ingestion, longer retention, more organizations, and compliance terms.

Alternatives

For request analytics, compare Apirelio, which offers freemium access and a Growth plan at $19 a month with 2M events/month, 5 projects, 30-day retention, and 5 members; it may suit teams prioritizing a lower-priced event and project allowance over Helicone's model gateway and LLM tracing. Revenium has a free Observe tier with 100,000 transactions/month, 7 days of retention, and one user, making it worth considering when that transaction allowance and single-user setup fit better than Helicone's 10,000 free requests and one-seat Hobby tier.

Moesif is another freemium API analytics option with API, web, and self-hosted platforms; consider it if you want to compare another deployment-capable analytics service. Treblle is a paid alternative with a Core plan at $233 a month billed yearly, including 5 APIs, 500 requests/min, 5 million API requests per month, 30 days of retention, and 1 workspace; choose it if those API-focused limits match your needs better than Helicone's AI model gateway.

Langfuse offers freemium API, web, and self-hosted deployment, with a Hobby plan that includes 50k units/month, 30 days of data access, and 2 users; it is a sensible comparison for teams weighing a longer free retention window and a second user. BetterMeter and API Analytics are additional options to compare for event retention and stored-request analytics, respectively. Readers considering broader categories can also browse API Analytics Software, AI LLM Observability Tools, LLM Observability Tools, AI Agent Observability Tools, Model Monitoring Software, and LLM Gateway Software.

Verdict

Choose Helicone if your team needs cross-provider model access, routing, and rich request observability, especially with self-hosting as an option. Its maintenance-mode status is the clearest reason to look elsewhere: the service remains supported with fixes and security updates, but teams seeking an actively evolving platform should compare alternatives before committing.