Helicone vs Langfuse
Side-by-side comparison of Helicone and Langfuse. Last updated May 2026.
Helicone and Langfuse are the two most popular LLM observability platforms, and both offer open-source self-hosted options alongside managed cloud plans. The main difference is in approach: Helicone acts as a proxy layer that sits between your app and the LLM provider, capturing requests and responses automatically. Langfuse takes a SDK-based approach with explicit tracing, giving you more granular control over what gets logged.
Langfuse is headquartered in Germany and stores data in the EU by default, which matters for teams with strict data residency requirements. Helicone is US-based. Both offer generous free tiers. Langfuse has deeper prompt management and evaluation features, while Helicone tends to be quicker to set up since the proxy approach requires fewer code changes.
| Description | Open-source LLM observability platform for monitoring, debugging, and improving AI applications. | Traces, evals, prompt management and metrics to debug and improve your LLM application. |
| Pricing | Monthly | Monthly / Yearly |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| License | apache2 | mit |
| Hosting | Both | Both |
| HQ | US | DE |
| SOC 2 | Yes | Yes |
| GDPR | — | Yes |
| GitHub stars | 5200 | 23000 |
| Founded | 2023 | 2023 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Helicone and Langfuse?
Helicone is Open-source LLM observability platform for monitoring, debugging, and improving AI applications.. Langfuse is Traces, evals, prompt management and metrics to debug and improve your LLM application..
Which is cheaper, Helicone or Langfuse?
Helicone pricing: Monthly. Langfuse pricing: Monthly / Yearly. Check each provider's pricing page for current rates, as these change frequently.
Is Helicone or Langfuse open source?
Helicone is open source (apache2). Langfuse is open source (mit).
Do Helicone and Langfuse have free tiers?
Helicone: yes, offers a free tier or trial. Langfuse: yes, offers a free tier or trial.
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