Comparison
helicone vs langtrace
Verdict
Pick helicone if helicone is an open-source platform for monitoring and evaluating language models with features specifically designed to facilitate integration and offer detailed observability; pick langtrace if langtrace stands out as an open-source observability solution for large language models, offering real-time tracing and evaluation capabilities through the Open Telemetry framework.
Markdown twin · helicone alternatives · langtrace alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | helicone | langtrace |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of 3d · github_public_v1 | Slowing (276d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 3d · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- helicone
- Open source LLM observability platform
- langtrace
- Open Telemetry based observability tool for LLM applications
Stars
- helicone
- 6.1k
- langtrace
- 1.2k
Forks
- helicone
- 654
- langtrace
- 126
Open issues
- helicone
- 170
- langtrace
- 1
Language
- helicone
- TypeScript
- langtrace
- TypeScript
Adopt for
- helicone
- Helicone is an open-source platform for monitoring and evaluating language models with features specifically designed to facilitate integration and offer detailed observability.
- langtrace
- Langtrace stands out as an open-source observability solution for large language models, offering real-time tracing and evaluation capabilities through the Open Telemetry framework.
Persona
- helicone
- -
- langtrace
- -
Runtime
- helicone
- -
- langtrace
- -
License
- helicone
- Apache-2.0
- langtrace
- AGPL-3.0
Last pushed
- helicone
- Aug 16, 2026
- langtrace
- Nov 17, 2025
Categories
- helicone
- Evaluation & Observability
- langtrace
- Evaluation & Observability
Trust and health
Maintenance
- helicone
- Very active (96%)
- langtrace
- Slowing (36%)
Days since push
- helicone
- 0d
- langtrace
- 276d
Open issues (now)
- helicone
- 170
- langtrace
- 1
Stars delta
- helicone
- +110 (30d)
- langtrace
- +12 (30d)
Open issues delta
- helicone
- +41 (30d)
- langtrace
- 0 (30d)
Full report
- helicone
- Trust report
- langtrace
- Trust report
Typed relationship
Choose helicone if…
- License: helicone is Apache-2.0, langtrace is AGPL-3.0.
- Helicone provides tracking and evaluation of AI agents, a space that overlaps significantly with what Langtrace offers for LLM observability.
- Tags unique to helicone: agent-monitoring, analytics, evaluation, llm-cost.
- Use Helicone when you need an open-source solution that can monitor a wide range of LLMs, including more than 100 available through one API.
When NOT to use helicone
- Do not use Helicone if you have strict data privacy needs that are better served by fully localized or proprietary observability solutions.
- Avoid using this platform if your project specifically requires real-time integration with a specific model outside of Helicone's extensive but curated list.
Choose langtrace if…
- License: langtrace is AGPL-3.0, helicone is Apache-2.0.
- Helicone provides tracking and evaluation of AI agents, a space that overlaps significantly with what Langtrace offers for LLM observability.
- Tags unique to langtrace: ai, datasets, evaluations, llm.
- When developing or using LLMs and frameworks where end-to-end visibility into every aspect of model performance is crucial.
When NOT to use langtrace
- For teams that do not require real-time tracing and evaluations, as implementing Langtrace might introduce unnecessary overhead.
- When working with non-LLM AI applications or other machine learning models, Langtrace’s specialized features for large language models may not provide much value.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (Helicone/helicone) · observed Aug 17, 2026
- GitHub forks (Helicone/helicone) · observed Aug 17, 2026
- Last push (Helicone/helicone) · observed Aug 16, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 17, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 14, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (Scale3-Labs/langtrace) · observed Aug 21, 2026
- GitHub forks (Scale3-Labs/langtrace) · observed Aug 21, 2026
- Last push (Scale3-Labs/langtrace) · observed Nov 17, 2025
- License file (AGPL-3.0) · observed Aug 21, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 12, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: helicone 6.1k · langtrace 1.2k (synced Aug 17, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between helicone and langtrace?
- helicone: Open source LLM observability platform. langtrace: Open Telemetry based observability tool for LLM applications. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose helicone over langtrace?
- Choose helicone over langtrace when License: helicone is Apache-2.0, langtrace is AGPL-3.0; Helicone provides tracking and evaluation of AI agents, a space that overlaps significantly with what Langtrace offers for LLM observability; Tags unique to helicone: agent-monitoring, analytics, evaluation, llm-cost; Use Helicone when you need an open-source solution that can monitor a wide range of LLMs, including more than 100 available through one API.
- When should I choose langtrace over helicone?
- Choose langtrace over helicone when License: langtrace is AGPL-3.0, helicone is Apache-2.0; Helicone provides tracking and evaluation of AI agents, a space that overlaps significantly with what Langtrace offers for LLM observability; Tags unique to langtrace: ai, datasets, evaluations, llm; When developing or using LLMs and frameworks where end-to-end visibility into every aspect of model performance is crucial.
- When should I avoid helicone?
- Do not use Helicone if you have strict data privacy needs that are better served by fully localized or proprietary observability solutions. Avoid using this platform if your project specifically requires real-time integration with a specific model outside of Helicone's extensive but curated list.
- When should I avoid langtrace?
- For teams that do not require real-time tracing and evaluations, as implementing Langtrace might introduce unnecessary overhead. When working with non-LLM AI applications or other machine learning models, Langtrace’s specialized features for large language models may not provide much value.
- Is helicone or langtrace more popular on GitHub?
- helicone has more GitHub stars (6,073 vs 1,228). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are helicone and langtrace open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (helicone: Apache-2.0, langtrace: AGPL-3.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to helicone or langtrace?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at helicone alternatives and langtrace alternatives (helicone markdown twin, langtrace markdown twin), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.
- Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?
- Yes. The markdown twin at this comparison mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, helicone or langtrace?
- helicone: Very active. langtrace: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.
- Where are the full trust reports for helicone and langtrace?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: helicone trust report; langtrace trust report.