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Head-to-head · Llm Monitoring

Datadog LLM Observability vs Helicone

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Datadog LLM Observability #2 in Llm Monitoring 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Datadog
Helicone #8 in Llm Monitoring 8.4/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Helicone

Datadog LLM Observability leads on 0 checks, Helicone on 1, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDatadog LLM Observability · 9.1/10
  • Lowest starting priceHelicone · $79/mo
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Helicone
  • Most featuresDatadog LLM Observability · 3 of 3

Datadog LLM Observability scores higher on our rubric for llm monitoring: 9.1 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.

Helicone is cheaper to start at $79/mo against $160/mo. On deployment options, Helicone gives you Both where Datadog LLM Observability offers Cloud.

Datadog LLM Observability is the better fit for teams already using Datadog. Helicone is the better fit for teams needing a model gateway with observability.

  • Datadog LLM Observability fits best

    Teams already using Datadog

  • 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 Datadog LLM Observability 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Helicone 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.4
Ranking #2 in Llm Monitoring #8 in Llm Monitoring
Best for Teams already using Datadog Teams needing a model gateway with observability
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $160/mo $79/mo (best)
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 7 days
Deployment Cloud Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Support Docs Email, Community, Docs
Integrations 10 integrations 10 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Datadog LLM Observability 3/3 · Helicone 2/3
LLM tracing ✓ ✓
Evaluation support ✓ ✓
Alerts ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment options Cloud Both
Trace retention 15 days Not checked yet
LLM providers OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Links agent traces with backend services, infrastructure, and user sessions
  • Combines evaluations, datasets, experiments, and annotations
  • Free plan includes up to 40K LLM spans per month and full feature access
  • 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
  • Cloud-only deployment
  • Free and Pro plans both retain traces for 15 days
  • Pro costs $160/month with annual billing; extra spans are metered
  • 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

Datadog LLM Observability, now presented as Agent Observability, helps engineering teams monitor and troubleshoot LLM-powered applications and agents in development and production. It records model calls and workflows at span level,…

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. Datadog LLM ObservabilityLlm Monitoring 9.1Free plan
  2. HeliconeLlm Monitoring 8.4Free plan · 7-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Datadog LLM Observability — where it wins

    • Links agent traces with backend services, infrastructure, and user sessions
    • Combines evaluations, datasets, experiments, and annotations
    • Free plan includes up to 40K LLM spans per month and full feature access

    Where it doesn't

    • Cloud-only deployment
    • Free and Pro plans both retain traces for 15 days
    • Pro costs $160/month with annual billing; extra spans are metered

  • 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
  • Datadog LLM Observability9.1/10 · Free plan

    LLM tracing and evaluation with Datadog context, plus a free plan and cloud-only deployment.

    Visit DatadogFull verdict →
  • Helicone8.4/10 · Free plan · 7-day trial

    A model gateway paired with tracing, prompt workflows, evaluations, and cost analytics.

    Visit HeliconeFull verdict →

More comparisons

All llm monitoring comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update