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Head-to-head · Llm Monitoring

Arize Phoenix vs Helicone

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Arize Phoenix #7 in Llm Monitoring 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Arize Phoenix
Helicone #8 in Llm Monitoring 8.4/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Helicone

Arize Phoenix leads on 0 checks, Helicone on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreArize Phoenix · 8.5/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Helicone

Arize Phoenix scores higher on our rubric for llm monitoring: 8.5 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #7 and #8.

Arize Phoenix is the better fit for teams wanting free, self-hosted LLM observability. Helicone is the better fit for teams needing a model gateway with observability.

  • Arize Phoenix fits best

    Teams wanting free, self-hosted LLM observability

  • Helicone fits best

    Teams needing a model gateway with observability

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Arize Phoenix 8.5/10 Visit ↗ Helicone 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.5 8.4
Ranking #7 in Llm Monitoring #8 in Llm Monitoring
Best for Teams wanting free, self-hosted LLM observability Teams needing a model gateway with observability
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free $79/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 7 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Integrations 11 integrations 10 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Arize Phoenix 2/3 · Helicone 2/3
LLM tracing ✓ ✓
Evaluation support ✓ ✓
Alerts Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment options Both Both
Trace retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
LLM providers Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Traces model calls, retrieval, tool use, and custom logic
  • Combines LLM-based, code-based, and human evaluations
  • Includes prompt versioning, experiments, and token cost tracking
  • Routes requests to 100+ models through an OpenAI-compatible gateway
  • Combines tracing, prompt management, evaluations, and cost analytics
  • Offers cloud or Docker-based self-hosted deployment
Cons
  • Support is centered on community resources and documentation
  • Its integration list is narrower than some alternatives
  • Teams seeking hosted use must choose Phoenix Cloud rather than local deployment
  • Pro starts at $79/month, with usage-based pricing also applying
  • Hobby limits usage to 10,000 requests and storage to 1 GB
  • The free plan is limited to one seat and one organization
Our verdict

Arize Phoenix is an open-source observability and evaluation platform for AI applications and agents. It is aimed at teams that want to inspect how model calls, retrieval, tool use, and custom logic behave, then evaluate and refine those…

Read the review →

Helicone brings model routing and LLM observability into one platform for developers and teams building AI applications. Its OpenAI-compatible gateway supports 100+ models, while request logging and dashboards cover requests, sessions,…

Read the review →
  1. Arize PhoenixLlm Monitoring 8.5Free plan
  2. HeliconeLlm Monitoring 8.4Free plan · 7-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Arize Phoenix — where it wins

    • Traces model calls, retrieval, tool use, and custom logic
    • Combines LLM-based, code-based, and human evaluations
    • Includes prompt versioning, experiments, and token cost tracking

    Where it doesn't

    • Support is centered on community resources and documentation
    • Its integration list is narrower than some alternatives
    • Teams seeking hosted use must choose Phoenix Cloud rather than local deployment

  • Helicone — where it wins

    • Routes requests to 100+ models through an OpenAI-compatible gateway
    • Combines tracing, prompt management, evaluations, and cost analytics
    • Offers cloud or Docker-based self-hosted deployment

    Where it doesn't

    • Pro starts at $79/month, with usage-based pricing also applying
    • Hobby limits usage to 10,000 requests and storage to 1 GB
    • The free plan is limited to one seat and one organization

More comparisons

All llm monitoring comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update