Side by side
Helicone vs LLM Gateway
Both stand on llm gateway software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
Helicone brings routing and observability tools together, with a free tier and self-hosting options. Its maintenance-mode status is worth weighing when considering it for a new deployment.
Visit Helicone Free plan Open source APIExtensionLinux+2
LLM Gateway combines provider routing, retry handling, and usage analytics behind one API. The Free plan includes a credit-usage fee, while enterprise features and pricing are separate considerations for larger deployments.
Visit LLM GatewayThe facts
| Helicone | LLM Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | API, Extension, Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Pro: $79 a month | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | helicone.ai | llmgateway.io |
| On llm gateway software | #6 of 34 | #2 of 34 |
Helicone: what it does well
- Gateway access to more than 100 models
- Supports load balancing, failovers, and response caching
- Offers cloud and self-hosted deployment
- Free Hobby plan and seven-day trial
What to know first
- Hobby retention is seven days
- Pro costs $79 a month
- Services are in maintenance mode
LLM Gateway: what it does well
- Routes requests across 250+ models from 40+ providers.
- Retries failed or limited requests up to twice.
- Dashboard breaks down usage and performance metrics.
- Self-hostable open-source core is free.
- BYOK use has no platform fee.
What to know first
- Free plan limits free models to 20 requests per minute.
- Credit usage on the Free plan has a 5% fee.
- Enterprise features require a license.
- Enterprise pricing is custom and not listed.
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