LangSmith vs Helicone
Last reviewed: 2026-05-23
Our take
These barely compete. LangSmith for framework-native users; Helicone for everyone else. For most GTM-adjacent AI products (chatbots, AI agents in CS or sales), Helicone is enough. For AI products with serious eval programs (legal-tech, medical), LangSmith justifies the seat price.
The summary
LangSmith is the framework-native eval platform; Helicone is the lightweight proxy. Pick LangSmith for AI products on LangChain, Helicone for everyone else.
Pick LangSmith if
You're building AI features on LangChain or want serious eval workflows + human annotation.
Full LangSmith review →Pick Helicone if
You want 1-line proxy integration. You're tracking $/customer-month for usage-based AI pricing.
Full Helicone review →Side-by-side
| Dimension | LangSmith | Helicone |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Custom | Custom |
| Category | llm-observability | llm-observability |
| Roles served | REVOPS, SE | REVOPS, SE |
| Pricing delta | LangSmith $39/user/mo from Plus tier. Helicone $20/mo Pro for 100k requests. | |
| Feature overlap | Both: LLM call tracing, cost tracking, latency dashboards. LangSmith adds datasets + eval workflow + annotation queues. Helicone adds caching + customer-level rate limiting + faster integration. | |
Pricing and features as of 2026-05-23. Independent comparison.