Softwr

AI · head to head

Helicone vs Orange

Helicone logo

Helicone

AI

Open-source LLM observability and gateway platform for AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Orange logo

Orange

Machine Learning

Data mining and visualization toolkit

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • 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.; Orange orange is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3, so distributing modified or derived software requires releasing the source under the GPL
  • They diverge on capability: Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Orange covers Visual programming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helicone and Orange actually diverge.

Attributes where Helicone and Orange differ
AttributeHeliconeOrange
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
Platformsweb, apiLinux, Mac, Windows
CategoryAIMachine Learning
FoundedUnknown1996

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Orange

  • Visual programming
  • Data visualization
  • Machine learning
  • Text mining
  • Bioinformatics
  • Python
  • scikit-learn
  • PyQt

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 Orange
  • Debugging multi-step agent sessionsnot Orange
  • Managing and iterating on prompts across a teamnot Orange
  • Routing requests across multiple LLM providersnot Orange

Orange

  • Visual programming for data mining and machine learning workflowsnot Helicone
  • Teaching data science without writing codenot Helicone
  • Exploratory data visualisation and clustering on tabular datanot 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.

Orange

  • Orange is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3, so distributing modified or derived software requires releasing the source under the GPL
  • The widgets and canvas are built on Qt, which is itself distributed under GPL 3.0
  • Orange add-ons may carry additional licensing requirements set in their own licence files
  • Documentation and website content are under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike, which imposes an attribution and share-alike obligation on reuse
  • The software is distributed without any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose

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

Orange

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Visual programming
    • Machine learning
    • Data visualization

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.

Choose Orange if

  • You need visual programming.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows.
  • You also want data visualization.

Questions people ask

Is Helicone or Orange better?
Neither clearly leads. Helicone starts at Free and Orange at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Helicone or Orange?
Helicone starts at Free and Orange at Free.
Does Helicone or Orange run on more platforms?
Helicone runs on web, api. Orange runs on Linux, Mac, Windows.
Can I use Helicone for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Orange is typically brought in for.
What can Helicone do that Orange cannot?
Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Sessions and segments, Helicone Query Language (HQL), Prompt datasets and improvement. Orange covers Visual programming, Data visualization, Machine learning, Text mining.

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
Orange: What is the cost of Orange Data Mining?

Orange Data Mining is free open-source software available for Windows, Mac, and other platforms. There are no subscription fees, licensing costs, or paid tiers.

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
Orange: How is Orange Data Mining funded?

Orange Data Mining is supported through optional voluntary donations. The project encourages donations from users who value the software to support bug fixes, new features, educational content, and infrastructure maintenance.

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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