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Head-to-head · Byok System

Helicone vs Envoy AI Gateway

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Helicone #4 in Byok System 8.7/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Helicone
Envoy AI Gateway #6 in Byok System 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Agent Router

Helicone leads on 0 checks, Envoy AI Gateway on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreHelicone · 8.7/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Helicone

Helicone scores higher on our rubric for byok system: 8.7 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.

Helicone is the better fit for teams combining BYOK gateway and deep observability. Envoy AI Gateway is the better fit for kubernetes teams needing open-source routing control.

  • Helicone fits best

    Teams combining BYOK gateway and deep observability

  • Envoy AI Gateway fits best

    Kubernetes teams needing open-source routing control

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 Helicone 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Envoy AI Gateway 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.4
Ranking #4 in Byok System #6 in Byok System
Best for Teams combining BYOK gateway and deep observability Kubernetes teams needing open-source routing control
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price $79/mo Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 7 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted
Support Email, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 10 integrations 16 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Helicone 0/3 · Envoy AI Gateway 0/3
Request routing Not checked yet Not checked yet
Team key sharing Not checked yet Not checked yet
Self-hosting Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Key storage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Supported providers Not checked yet Not checked yet
Usage limits Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • OpenAI-compatible gateway supports 100+ models, with rate limits and fallbacks
  • Traces requests and agent workflows, and tracks costs and evaluation scores
  • Offers cloud and Docker-based self-hosted deployment
  • Routes across hosted providers and self-hosted model endpoints
  • Supports failover, weighted backends, token limits, and usage budgets
  • Provides traffic, performance, usage, and cost observability
Cons
  • Hobby is limited to 10,000 free requests, 1 GB storage, 1 seat, and 1 organization
  • Pro and Team subscriptions also have usage-based pricing
  • Enterprise uses custom-built packages rather than a fixed listed price
  • Deployment is self-hosted rather than a managed service
  • Kubernetes installation uses Helm charts, so it favors Kubernetes teams
  • Support channels are limited to community and documentation
Our verdict

Helicone brings an LLM gateway and observability tools together for developers and teams building AI applications. It routes, logs, traces, and analyzes model requests, with dashboards for requests, sessions, users, prompts, datasets,…

Read the review →

Teams building Kubernetes-based AI infrastructure may consider Envoy AI Gateway, an open-source gateway for routing application requests to hosted LLM providers and self-hosted models. It presents a unified API for multiple providers and…

Read the review →
  1. HeliconeByok System 8.7Free plan · 7-day trial
  2. Envoy AI GatewayByok System 8.4Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Helicone — where it wins

    • OpenAI-compatible gateway supports 100+ models, with rate limits and fallbacks
    • Traces requests and agent workflows, and tracks costs and evaluation scores
    • Offers cloud and Docker-based self-hosted deployment

    Where it doesn't

    • Hobby is limited to 10,000 free requests, 1 GB storage, 1 seat, and 1 organization
    • Pro and Team subscriptions also have usage-based pricing
    • Enterprise uses custom-built packages rather than a fixed listed price

  • Envoy AI Gateway — where it wins

    • Routes across hosted providers and self-hosted model endpoints
    • Supports failover, weighted backends, token limits, and usage budgets
    • Provides traffic, performance, usage, and cost observability

    Where it doesn't

    • Deployment is self-hosted rather than a managed service
    • Kubernetes installation uses Helm charts, so it favors Kubernetes teams
    • Support channels are limited to community and documentation
  • Helicone8.7/10 · Free plan · 7-day trial

    Routes and analyzes model requests, with tracing, prompt tools, and cloud or self-hosted deployment.

    Visit HeliconeFull verdict →
  • Envoy AI Gateway8.4/10 · Free plan

    A Kubernetes-oriented open-source gateway for routing, governing, and observing LLM traffic.

    Visit Agent RouterFull verdict →

More comparisons

All byok system comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update