Braintrust vs Helicone: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Braintrust and Helicone side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, Helicone leads on lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Braintrust
Observability and evaluation platform for AI agents: trace production runs, score outputs with evals and build datasets from real traces.
Best for you if:
- • You want free Starter plan with no credit card required
Helicone
Build reliable AI apps with Helicone: AI Gateway & LLM Observability for debugging, routing, and analysis.
Best for you if:
- • You want LLM observability
| At a Glance | Braintrust | Helicone |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $249/mo, billed monthly Pro plan | Free plan, paid from $100/mo, billed monthly Pro plan |
Category | AI Observability Testing & QA | AI Observability API Tools |
Rating | n/a | n/a |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Watch out for | 1 GB processed data, then $4 per GB (Starter) | Potential overage fees if exceeding Pro tier limits |
Choose Braintrust or Helicone?
Choose Braintrust if
- You want free Starter plan with no credit card required
- You want users, projects, experiments and datasets are unlimited on Starter and Pro
Choose Helicone if
- You want LLM observability
- You want request logging
- Budget matters ($100/mo, billed monthly vs $249/mo, billed monthly)
In-Depth Analysis
Braintrust
Observability and evaluation platform for AI agents: trace production runs, score outputs with evals and build datasets from real traces.
Braintrust's free tier is generous for small projects, but the Pro plan's overage charges on processed data and scores can escalate quickly for high-volume teams.
Watch out
1 GB processed data, then $4 per GB (Starter)
Strengths
- Pro: Free Starter plan with no credit card required
- Pro: Users, projects, experiments and datasets are unlimited on Starter and Pro
- Pro: Pricing is metered on data and scores, so a larger team does not add seat fees
- Pro: Enterprise offers on-prem or hosted deployment, a BAA and an uptime SLA
Weaknesses
- Con: Starter keeps 14 days of data and 10k scores; usage beyond that is billed at usage-based rates
- Con: Pro is a paid plan, and there is no plan between Starter and Pro
- Con: Retention beyond 30 days on Pro has an additional monthly charge
- Con: Enterprise pricing is not published
Key features
Helicone
Build reliable AI apps with Helicone: AI Gateway & LLM Observability for debugging, routing, and analysis.
Helicone's pricing is quite fair, offering a generous Free tier for initial exploration and a well-priced Pro tier at $100/month for significant production use.
Watch out
Potential overage fees if exceeding Pro tier limits
Strengths
- Pro: LLM observability
- Pro: Request logging
- Pro: Cost tracking
- Pro: Good for AI apps
- Pro: Fair pricing
Weaknesses
- Con: Newer platform
- Con: Limited features
- Con: Still maturing
- Con: Integration effort
- Con: Documentation improving
Key features
Plans and prices: Braintrust vs Helicone
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Braintrust |
| braintrust.dev/pricing read Oct 22, 2026 |
| Helicone |
| helicone.ai/pricing read Oct 26, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Braintrust pricing and Helicone pricing.
Key Takeaways
Braintrust
- Choose if you want observability and evaluation platform for AI agents: trace production runs, score outputs with evals and build datasets from real traces
Helicone
- Lower entry price: $100/mo, billed monthly vs $249/mo, billed monthly
What the data shows
On the data below, Helicone leads on lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- Helicone has the lower entry price: $100/mo, billed monthly (Pro) against $249/mo, billed monthly (Pro) for Braintrust.
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Braintrust and Helicone compare in 2026?
On the data below, Helicone leads on lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. Helicone has the lower entry price: $100/mo, billed monthly (Pro) against $249/mo, billed monthly (Pro) for Braintrust. Both have a free plan.
What are Braintrust and Helicone used for?
Braintrust: Observability and evaluation platform for AI agents: trace production runs, score outputs with evals and build datasets from real traces. Helicone: Build reliable AI apps with Helicone: AI Gateway & LLM Observability for debugging, routing, and analysis.
What does Braintrust cost vs Helicone?
Braintrust's cheapest paid plan is Pro at $249/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Helicone's cheapest paid plan is Pro at $100/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 26, 2026.
What's the main difference between Braintrust and Helicone?
Braintrust's main strength: free Starter plan with no credit card required. Helicone's main strength: LLM observability.