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AI · head to head

Helicone vs Mage AI

Helicone logo

Helicone

AI

Open-source LLM observability and gateway platform for AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mage AI logo

Mage AI

Automation Integration

Data pipeline platform with AI-generated workflows and governance

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Helicone has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Helicone the free Hobby plan is capped at 10,000 requests per month, which teams with production traffic can exceed quickly.; Mage AI usage-based pricing lacks transparency for cost forecasting
  • They diverge on capability: Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Mage AI covers AI-generated workflows.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helicone and Mage AI actually diverge.

Attributes where Helicone and Mage AI differ
AttributeHeliconeMage AI
Starting priceFree$100/month
Pricing modelfreemiumUsage-based cloud platform
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiCloud, Hybrid, Private Cloud, On-Premises
CategoryAIAutomation Integration

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Helicone

  • Request dashboard and tracking
  • Sessions and segments
  • Helicone Query Language (HQL)
  • Prompt datasets and improvement
  • Playground
  • Rate limits and alerts

Only in Mage AI

  • AI-generated workflows
  • Pipeline building
  • Data validation
  • Workflow orchestration
  • Automatic recovery
  • Reusable components
  • Governance controls

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Helicone

  • Monitoring cost and latency of production LLM applicationsnot Mage AI
  • Debugging multi-step agent sessionsnot Mage AI
  • Managing and iterating on prompts across a teamnot Mage AI
  • Routing requests across multiple LLM providersnot Mage AI

Mage AI

  • Building and orchestrating data pipelines with visual interfacenot Helicone
  • Automating ETL workflows with AI assistancenot Helicone
  • Validating data quality across transformationsnot Helicone
  • Distributing transformed data to multiple destinationsnot Helicone

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

Mage AI

  • Usage-based pricing lacks transparency for cost forecasting
  • Limited standalone pricing details on website
  • Requires contact for enterprise deployment options
  • Smaller ecosystem compared to established competitors
  • May require significant customization for complex data models

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Mage AI

$100/month
  • Cloud$100/month
    • 1 development environment
    • Unlimited users
    • Usage-based infrastructure pricing
  • Hybrid Cloud$null/custom
    • Private data processing
    • Custom infrastructure
    • Contact sales
  • Private Cloud$null/custom
    • Complete isolation
    • Full infrastructure control
    • Contact sales
  • On-Premises$null/custom
    • Full local control
    • Enterprise deployment
    • Contact sales

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.
Helicone review

Choose Mage AI if

  • You need ai-generated workflows.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, Private Cloud, On-Premises.
  • You also want pipeline building.
Mage AI review

Questions people ask

Is Helicone or Mage AI better?
Neither clearly leads. Helicone starts at Free and Mage AI at $100/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Helicone or Mage AI?
Helicone has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Helicone and $100/month for Mage AI.
Does Helicone or Mage AI run on more platforms?
Helicone runs on web, api. Mage AI runs on Cloud, Hybrid, Private Cloud, On-Premises.
Can I use Helicone for free?
Yes. Helicone has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mage AI starts at $100/month.
What is Helicone best used for?
Helicone is most often used for monitoring cost and latency of production llm applications, debugging multi-step agent sessions, managing and iterating on prompts across a team, routing requests across multiple llm providers. Of those, monitoring cost and latency of production llm applications and debugging multi-step agent sessions are not what Mage AI is typically brought in for.
What can Helicone do that Mage AI cannot?
Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Sessions and segments, Helicone Query Language (HQL), Prompt datasets and improvement. Mage AI covers AI-generated workflows, Pipeline building, Data validation, Workflow orchestration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Helicone: 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.

Source
Mage AI: What is the starting price for Mage Cloud?

Cloud plan starts at $100/month for one development environment with unlimited users, plus usage-based compute charges.

Source
Helicone: 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.

Source
Mage AI: How is compute usage billed on Mage?

CPU is charged at $0.50 per hour and RAM at $0.50 per 4GB per hour of utilization.

Source
Helicone: 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.

Source
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