Helicone

Helicone routes, debugs, and analyzes AI applications, with tools for model access, request handling, and tracing. Its gateway connects to more than 100 models through the OpenAI SDK by changing the model name. Across providers, it can balance traffic, switch over automatically when a provider fails, and cache responses. For observability, Helicone records requests in real time and lays out multi-step LLM interactions to help teams trace error causes. Integrations listed include OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, LiteLLM, Anyscale, Together AI, and OpenRouter. Teams can deploy it in their infrastructure using a single-click option or Helm chart; Helicone also states that its cloud is SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliant. The LangGraph integration adds visibility into calls, sessions, performance, and costs, while a calculator covers API costs across more than 300 models and providers. A free plan is available; Pro costs $79 a month, and a seven-day trial is advertised. Helicone says its services remain live in maintenance mode after acquisition by Mintlify, with security updates and fixes continuing.

Helicone combines model gateway features with request observability and cost tools. Its maintenance-mode status is an important consideration for teams evaluating it.

It suits teams building or operating AI applications that need provider routing, request tracing, or cost visibility. Organizations that require self-hosting can deploy it in their own infrastructure.

Helicone combines an AI model gateway with tools for tracing and analyzing application requests. It is best suited to teams that need cross-provider routing and request-level visibility, especially those considering self-hosting. Its maintenance-mode status makes it a cautious choice for new, long-term deployments.

Overview

Helicone routes, debugs, and analyzes AI applications, with access to more than 100 models through the OpenAI SDK by changing the model name. It brings gateway controls and observability into one service, which can suit teams managing several providers. Helicone says its services remain live in maintenance mode following its acquisition by Mintlify; security updates, new models, and bug and performance fixes continue. That ongoing support is useful, but maintenance mode is a meaningful constraint for teams seeking an actively developing platform.

Key features

Smart load balancing, automatic failovers, and response caching help manage traffic across providers. Real-time request logs and visualizations of multi-step LLM interactions help teams investigate errors and follow behavior across a request. Integrations include OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, LiteLLM, Anyscale, Together AI, and OpenRouter.

Helicone supports cost and token tracking, LLM evaluations, prompt management, agent tracing, and retrieval tracing. Its LangGraph integration adds visibility into LLM calls, session tracking, performance metrics, and cost monitoring. The API cost calculator covers more than 300 models and providers, giving teams a way to compare costs across a broad selection.

Teams can deploy Helicone in their own infrastructure through single-click deployment or a production-ready Helm chart. Helicone describes itself as open source and welcomes community contributors. Its cloud states SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance; the Team plan includes SOC-2 and HIPAA compliance. Community support is through GitHub and Discord.

Pricing

Helicone has a free Hobby plan, paid plans from $79 a month, and a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. The trial is short, but it lets teams assess the service before paying.

Hobby is a useful starting point for an individual or small evaluation, but its single seat, short retention, and low ingestion limit constrain sustained team use. Pro expands collaboration and retention while keeping one organization and a 10 API calls/min limit; usage-based charges apply beyond the included free requests. Team suits larger or compliance-conscious groups that need more organizations, higher ingestion, and longer retention, but its monthly price is a substantial step up. Enterprise is for organizations needing SSO, on-prem deployment, or uncapped retention, with custom pricing.

Platforms

Helicone is available through API, web, and self-hosted deployments. Self-hosting is a practical fit for teams that want the service inside their own infrastructure; cloud users can choose among its stated compliance assurances.

Who it's for

Helicone fits developers and teams building AI applications across providers who want gateway routing, tracing, cost visibility, and debugging in one platform. Self-hosting and the range of observability tools broaden its appeal. Teams that prioritize an actively evolving product should look elsewhere, given the maintenance-mode status.

Pros and cons

• Pro: More than 100 models are accessible through the OpenAI SDK, with routing and failover controls across providers.
• Pro: Request logs, multi-step interaction views, tracing, and cost tools bring debugging and usage analysis together.
• Pro: Self-hosting options and stated cloud compliance support teams with infrastructure or compliance requirements.
• Con: Maintenance mode limits its appeal to teams seeking an actively developed platform, even though security updates and fixes continue.
• Con: The free tier's one seat, 1 GB storage, 7-day retention, and 10 logs/min ingestion leave little room for ongoing team use.
• Con: Pro adds usage-based charges, while Team costs $799 a month, making higher-capacity use a significant expense.

Alternatives

Langfuse is worth considering for teams that want a self-hosted observability option with a free Hobby tier that includes 50k units per month, 30 days of data access, and two users; its Core plan starts at $29 a month.

KeepRouter is an alternative for API gateway use when a free, best-effort option billed at $0 per input and output token suits testing, prototyping, and evaluation.

Apirelio offers a web-based freemium option, with Growth at $19 a month after a 14-day free period and 2M events/month, five projects, 30-day retention, and five members.

Clavio, Moesif, Revenium, AI Nazar, and API Analytics are other options to compare.

Verdict

Choose Helicone if your team needs provider-flexible model access alongside request tracing, routing, and cost analysis, and is comfortable with a maintenance-mode service. Its combination of gateway and observability tools is the main reason to choose it; teams that need an actively developed platform should look elsewhere.