---
title: "Helicone vs Portkey: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder"
description: "Helicone vs Portkey compared for 2026 — pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which ai gateways & llm proxies tool is the better fit for your startup."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/helicone-vs-portkey
retrieved: 2026-10-14
---

![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=helicone.ai&sz=128)

vs

![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=portkey.ai&sz=128)

# Helicone vs Portkey: Which is Better in 2026?

AI Gateways & LLM Proxies

Choosing between [Helicone](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/helicone) and [Portkey](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/portkey)? Both are popular ai gateways & llm proxies tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.

Quick verdict

Both are solid ai gateways & llm proxies options. Portkey is cheaper to start, but the right choice depends on the specific features and integrations you need.

## Helicone vs Portkey — Side by Side

|                | Helicone                                                   | Portkey                                                |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Category       | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies                                  | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies                              |
| Pricing        | Free · paid from $79/mo                                    | Free · paid from $49/mo                                |
| Starting price | Free tier available                                        | Free tier available                                    |
| Free tier      | ✓                                                          | ✓                                                      |
| Rating         | 4.5                                                        | 4.5                                                    |
| Best for       | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies — llm-observability, open-source | AI Gateways & LLM Proxies — llm-routing, observability |

## Pros & Cons

![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=helicone.ai&sz=128)

[Helicone](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/helicone)

* ✓Open source and self-hostable
* ✓Cost and latency logging on every request
* ✓Generous free tier
* ✗Pro jumps to $799 for compliance features
* ✗Usage charges on top of the plan fee
* ✗Short retention on the free plan

![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=portkey.ai&sz=128)

[Portkey](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/portkey)

* ✓Gateway and observability in one product
* ✓Open-source gateway you can self-host
* ✓Guardrails and semantic caching
* ✗Free plan keeps logs for only 3 days
* ✗Log-based pricing grows with traffic
* ✗Private deployment is Enterprise-only

## Key Features Compared

### Helicone

* ✓Unlimited seats
* ✓Alerts and reports
* ✓HQL queries
* ✓1-month retention

### Portkey

* ✓100K recorded logs / month
* ✓Semantic caching
* ✓RBAC and alerts
* ✓30-day log retention

### Choose Helicone if…

* ✓You want a free tier to validate before paying.
* ✓Open source and self-hostable
* ✓Cost and latency logging on every request
* ✓Generous free tier

[Helicone review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/helicone)

### Choose Portkey if…

* ✓You want a free tier to validate before paying.
* ✓Budget is tight — paid plans start lower ($49/mo vs $79/mo).
* ✓Gateway and observability in one product
* ✓Open-source gateway you can self-host

[Portkey review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/portkey)

## Frequently Asked Questions

Is Helicone better than Portkey?⌄

Both are solid ai gateways & llm proxies options. Portkey is cheaper to start, but the right choice depends on the specific features and integrations you need.

What is the difference between Helicone and Portkey?⌄

Helicone — Open-source AI gateway and LLM observability: route requests across providers with caching and fallbacks, and log every call. Portkey — AI gateway with built-in observability: route to any model with fallbacks, caching and guardrails, then trace every request. Both are ai gateways & llm proxies tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.

Helicone vs Portkey: which is cheaper?⌄

Helicone pricing: Free · paid from $79/mo. Portkey pricing: Free · paid from $49/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.

Which is rated higher, Helicone or Portkey?⌄

In our catalog, Helicone rates 4.5 out of 5 and Portkey rates 4.5 out of 5 — they are evenly matched.

See more options in our guide to the [best ai gateways & llm proxies tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/ai-gateway).

[In-depth guideOpenRouter vs LiteLLM (2026): Hosted AI Gateway vs Open-Source LLM ProxyOpenRouter is a hosted service: one key, 500+ models, a 5.5% fee on credits. LiteLLM is MIT-licensed software you run yourself, with virtual keys and budgets per team. How each works, what the gateway costs at three spend levels, and why this site runs on OpenRouter.](https://appstackbuilder.com/blog/openrouter-vs-litellm-2026)

## Still not sure which to pick?

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[Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)