AI · head to head
Chatbase vs Helicone
Helicone
AI
Open-source LLM observability and gateway platform for AI applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Chatbase enterprise plan requires custom pricing with sales contact; Helicone the free Hobby plan is capped at 10,000 requests per month, which teams with production traffic can exceed quickly.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Chatbase and Helicone actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (AI).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Chatbase
Nothing recorded that Helicone does not also cover.
Only in Helicone
- Request dashboard and tracking
- Sessions and segments
- Helicone Query Language (HQL)
- Prompt datasets and improvement
- Playground
- Rate limits and alerts
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Chatbase
- Automating customer support for returnsnot Helicone
- Answering product questions 24/7 across channelsnot Helicone
- Routing conversations to sales teamsnot Helicone
- Escalating complex issues to human agentsnot Helicone
Helicone
- Monitoring cost and latency of production LLM applicationsnot Chatbase
- Debugging multi-step agent sessionsnot Chatbase
- Managing and iterating on prompts across a teamnot Chatbase
- Routing requests across multiple LLM providersnot Chatbase
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Chatbase
- Enterprise plan requires custom pricing with sales contact
- Message credits are consumption-based; exceeding monthly allocation requires additional purchase
Helicone
- The free Hobby plan is capped at 10,000 requests per month, which teams with production traffic can exceed quickly.
- Advanced compliance features like SOC 2 and HIPAA are only available starting at the $799/month Team plan.
- Usage beyond the free tier is billed on top of the base subscription, adding cost unpredictability at scale.
- On-premises deployment is restricted to the custom Enterprise tier.
Pricing, plan by plan
Chatbase
Free- FreeFree
- 50 message credits monthly
- 1 member
- Limited model access
- Hobby$40/month
- 700 message credits
- 2 members
- Advanced models
- Standard$150/month
- 4,000 message credits
- 3 members
- Voice
- Pro$500/month
- 15,000 message credits
- 5 members
- Advanced analytics
Helicone
Free- HobbyFree
- 10,000 free requests
- 1 GB storage
- 1 seat
- Pro$79/month
- 10K free requests included, usage-based beyond
- 7-day free trial
- Unlimited playgrounds and workspaces
- Team$799/month
- 5 organizations
- SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance
- Dedicated Slack channel access
- Enterprise$undefined/mo
- Custom MSAs and SAML SSO
- On-premises deployment
- Bulk cloud discounts
Which should you pick?
Choose Helicone if
- You need request dashboard and tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want sessions and segments.
Questions people ask
- Is Chatbase or Helicone better?
- Neither clearly leads. Chatbase starts at Free and Helicone at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Chatbase or Helicone?
- Chatbase starts at Free and Helicone at Free.
- Does Chatbase or Helicone run on more platforms?
- Chatbase runs on Web. Helicone runs on web, api.
- Can I use Chatbase for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Chatbase best used for?
- Chatbase is most often used for automating customer support for returns, answering product questions 24/7 across channels, routing conversations to sales teams, escalating complex issues to human agents. Of those, automating customer support for returns and answering product questions 24/7 across channels are not what Helicone is typically brought in for.
- What can Chatbase do that Helicone cannot?
- Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Sessions and segments, Helicone Query Language (HQL), Prompt datasets and improvement.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Chatbase: Is there a free tier for Chatbase?
Yes, Chatbase offers a free plan with 50 message credits per month, 1 team member, and limited access to AI models. Agents created on the free plan automatically delete after 14 days of inactivity.
SourceHelicone: What does Helicone cost?
Helicone offers a free Hobby plan, a Pro plan at $79/month, a Team plan at $799/month, and custom Enterprise pricing, with usage-based charges applying beyond included request limits.
SourceChatbase: What are the differences between Standard and Pro plans?
Standard ($150/month) includes 4,000 message credits and 3 team members with voice, telephony, and API access. Pro ($500/month) includes 15,000 message credits, 5 team members, and advanced analytics with ticket support.
SourceHelicone: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?
The free Hobby plan includes 10,000 requests per month, 1 GB of storage, 1 seat, and 1 organization, aimed at kickstarting AI projects.
SourceChatbase: How much does it cost to add extra team members beyond the plan limit?
Chatbase's pricing page does not specify the cost for adding extra team members beyond the included count in each plan. Contact sales for custom member add-on pricing.
SourceHelicone: Are there discounts available?
Helicone offers 50% off the first year for qualifying startups, discounts for non-profits, a $100 annual credit for open-source projects, and free access for students.
SourceChatbase: Do annual plans offer a discount?
Yes, yearly plans save 20% compared to monthly billing across all tiers.
SourceRelated pages
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