Helicone
FreemiumUnified AI Gateway & LLM Observability platform for production apps.
By Tanmay Verma, Founder · Last verified 29 Jun 2026
2.6k views
Added 5/25/2026
88/100Safe BetIn short
Helicone — Unified AI Gateway & LLM Observability platform for production apps. Best for Teams needing a unified multi-provider AI gateway and observability, Developers wanting cost tracking and alerts on LLM usage, Companies migrating from OpenRouter to a richer gateway with 0% markup. Free to start; paid plans from $79/mo.
Is Helicone actually worth it?
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Editorial Verdict
Best for
Teams needing a unified multi-provider AI gateway and observabilityDevelopers wanting cost tracking and alerts on LLM usageCompanies migrating from OpenRouter to a richer gateway with 0% markupOrganizations enforcing rate limits on production LLM calls
Not ideal for
Teams requiring a fully open-source self-hosted gatewayUsers looking for a free forever plan with unlimited requestsProjects needing deep prompt engineering and evaluation toolsTeams that only use a single LLM provider and don't need multi-provider routing
Best for teams needing a cloud-native AI gateway with observability baked in. The free tier is limited to 10K requests/month but the usage-based Pro plan scales well. The recent Mintlify acquisition adds uncertainty about long-term independence. If you need deep prompt evaluation, LangSmith might be stronger.
Skip Helicone if Skip Helicone if you only use a single LLM provider and don't need multi-provider routing or advanced observability.
Compare with: Helicone vs LangSmith, Helicone vs Langfuse, Helicone vs Galileo AI Evals
Last verified: June 2026
What's new in Helicone
Updated yesterdayAcross the latest 5 updates: 4 feature updates and 1 news mention.
NewsBlog·Mar 3Newest
Helicone is joining Mintlify
Helicone acquired by Mintlify after processing 14.2 trillion tokens.
FeatureChangelog·Nov 26
Claude Sonnet 4 and Sonnet 4.5 now support 1M context window
Sonnet 4 models default to 1M context on Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, and Vertex AI.
FeatureChangelog·Aug 13
Control Reasoning Effort in Playground and better feedback on thinking models
Added reasoning effort control (minimal/low/medium/high) and visual thinking display.
FeatureChangelog·Aug 7
OpenAI GPT-5 Models Pricing and Playground Support
GPT-5 model pricing tracking and playground support added.
FeatureChangelog·Jul 22
Prompt Management V2
Version control, typed variables, and instant deployment for prompts.
Viability Score
88/100
Safe BetHow likely is Helicone to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
momentum
82
funding runway
80
website health
90
wrapper dependency
100
Last calculated: June 2026
How we score →Key Features
- AI Gateway routing to 100+ models
- Per-request LLM observability logging
- Rate limiting and cost alerts
- Playground for testing prompts with reasoning effort control
- Visual thinking display for thinking models
- Datasets for versioning prompt data
- HQL (Helicone Query Language) for log analytics
- Sessions and users tracking
- Passthrough billing with 0% markup
- Caching, rate limits, automatic fallbacks
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) compatibility
- 1M context window support (Claude Sonnet 4/4.5)
- Prompt Management V2 with version control
- Embedded observability via OpenAI API
- Country-based request filtering
About Helicone
FreemiumIntermediateAPI availableWeb · API
Helicone is an AI Gateway and LLM observability platform trusted by fast-growing AI companies to route, debug, and analyze LLM applications. It provides a single interface to manage API calls across 100+ models from providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Azure, with built-in request logging, latency tracking, cost monitoring, and alerting. Key features include a Playground for testing prompts with configurable reasoning effort, Datasets for versioning prompt data, HQL (Helicone Query Language) for log analytics, and Sessions & Users tracking for debugging. Helicone recently joined Mintlify after processing 14.2 trillion tokens. Its AI Gateway includes passthrough billing at 0% markup, caching, rate limits, automatic fallbacks, and MCP (Model Context Protocol) compatibility. Compared to LangSmith, Helicone offers more provider flexibility, open-source core, and cost-effective scaling.
Behind the Verdict
Helicone excels as a lightweight, multi-provider gateway with observability built in. Its strengths: 0% markup passthrough billing, caching that saves latency, and a query language (HQL) for digging into logs. The Playground with reasoning effort control and visual thinking display is a nice touch for debugging. Weaknesses: the free tier is very restrictive (7-day retention, 10 logs/min), and overage costs on Pro/Team can surprise. The Mintlify acquisition may shift focus away from standalone gateway features. It's ideal for startups scaling from prototype to production, especially those using multiple LLMs. Teams that only use one provider or need deep prompt engineering should consider alternatives like LangSmith or Braintrust. The open-source core is a plus for self-hosters, but the hosted version is the primary product.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Helicone actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
Solo developer building an AI chat app
Integrate the gateway with OpenAI, use the Playground to test prompts, set up cost alerts, and deploy with caching.
Outcome: Ship the app with production-ready observability in under an hour, tracking cost per user.
ML engineer at a scaling startup
Route requests to multiple providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure) with automatic fallback when one provider fails.
Outcome: 99.9% uptime on LLM calls, with detailed logs to debug rare failures.
Engineering lead migrating from OpenRouter
Follow Helicone's migration guide to switch, rewrite proxy code, and set up 0% markup billing for sub-accounts.
Outcome: Cut gateway costs by 20% while gaining richer observability and caching.
Use Cases
- Monitor all LLM API calls in real-time with detailed logs and cost breakdowns
- Route requests across multiple providers to optimize for latency, cost, or reliability
- Debug failed requests and analyze user sessions to improve app performance
- Experiment with different prompts and models in the playground before deploying
- Set up alerts for rate limits, errors, or spending thresholds across your AI stack
- Meet compliance requirements (SOC-2, HIPAA) while using an open-source observability platform
Models Under the Hood
GPT-5GPT-5-MiniGPT-5-NanoGPT-5-Chat-LatestClaude Sonnet 4Claude Sonnet 4.5Claude Opus 4.1GPT-OSS (Fireworks, Groq, OpenRouter)
Limitations
- The free Hobby plan caps at 10,000 requests/month and 10 logs/min, with only 7-day data retention.
- Usage-based overages on Pro and Team can become costly at scale.
- The open-source version may require self-hosting for full control, and the future direction after Mintlify acquisition is uncertain.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Annual total
Free
Over 12 months
Effective monthly
Free
Billed monthly
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Helicone tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Hobby
$0/mo
Ideal for
Solo developer prototyping an AI app with fewer than 10K requests/month
What this tier adds
Free entry point with 10K requests, 1GB storage, 7-day data retention, and 10 logs/min ingestion limit.
Pro
$79/mo
Ideal for
Growing teams needing unlimited seats, alerts, and HQL analytics
What this tier adds
Unlimited seats, alerts, HQL query language, and 1-month data retention; usage-based pricing beyond 10K requests.
Team
$799/mo
Ideal for
Scaling companies requiring SOC-2, HIPAA, and multi-organization management
What this tier adds
5 organizations, SOC-2 & HIPAA compliance, dedicated Slack channel, 3-month data retention.
Enterprise
Custom
Ideal for
Large enterprises needing custom MSA, SAML SSO, on-prem deployment, and forever data retention
What this tier adds
Custom pricing with SAML SSO, on-prem deployment, bulk cloud discounts, and forever data retention.
Integrations
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Helicone's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Helicone's pricing is usage-based after 10K requests, making it affordable for early-stage startups but potentially expensive at scale vs. alternatives like LangSmith which offer flat-rate tiers. The free Hobby tier is generous enough for prototyping.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Helicone — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
Set up Helicone in minutes: install the Node.js SDK or add your OpenAI key via the dashboard. Solo developers get first value in under 1 hour; teams with compliance needs may take a day to configure SSO and data retention on Team or Enterprise.
Switching to or from Helicone
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
Migrating in
- →From OpenRouter: Follow Helicone's migration guide to replace your proxy URL and enable 0% markup passthrough billing.
- →From LangSmith: Export your prompt logs and import via HQL; adjust your API calls to Helicone's gateway endpoint.
Migrating out
- ↗To LangSmith: Export prompt datasets and logs via HQL; rebuild evaluations in LangSmith's framework.
- ↗To a self-hosted gateway: Use Helicone's open-source version or replicate its features with custom middleware.
Resources & Guides
- Resourcehelicone.ai
What Is An Ai Gateway
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
Complete Guide To Helicone Ai Gateway
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
How To Use Helicone In N8n Workflows
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
How To Migrate From Openrouter To Helicone Ai Gateway
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
10 Ways To Use Your Llm Logs
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
How To Use Ai Gateways To Enhance Ai App Reliability
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
What To Do When Openrouter Is Down
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
Top 5 Llm Gateways 2025
Helpful link from helicone.ai
- Resourcehelicone.ai
OpenRouter Alternatives in 2025
We tested every AI gateway on the market. Here are the results for the top 5 AI Gateways on the market.
- Resourcehelicone.ai
The Helicone Ai Gateway Now On The Cloud
Helpful link from helicone.ai
Frequently Asked Questions
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