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AI · head to head

Helicone vs Play.ht

Helicone logo

Helicone

AI

Open-source LLM observability and gateway platform for AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Play.ht

AI

Ultra-realistic AI voice generator

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; Play.ht the vendor's own pricing FAQ as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 January 2022 states words do not roll over between subscription cycles and reset each renewal, that payments already made are non-refundable, and that running out of words requires a separate one-time purchase; no dollar figures appear in this capture but the mechanism is stated plainly by the vendor
  • They diverge on capability: Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Play.ht covers 900+ voices.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helicone and Play.ht actually diverge.

Attributes where Helicone and Play.ht differ
AttributeHeliconePlay.ht
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (web, api), 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 Helicone

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

Only in Play.ht

  • 900+ voices
  • 142 languages
  • Voice cloning
  • Real-time streaming
  • API access
  • WordPress plugin
  • Podcast hosting
  • Web support

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

Play.ht

  • ai tools managementnot Helicone
  • Workflow automationnot Helicone
  • Reportingnot 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.

Play.ht

  • The vendor's own pricing FAQ as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 January 2022 states words do not roll over between subscription cycles and reset each renewal, that payments already made are non-refundable, and that running out of words requires a separate one-time purchase; no dollar figures appear in this capture but the mechanism is stated plainly by the vendor

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

Play.ht

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2,500 words/month
    • Standard voices
  • Creator$31/month
    • Unlimited words
    • Voice cloning
  • Pro$99/month
    • Commercial license
    • API access

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 Play.ht if

  • You need 900+ voices.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want 142 languages.
Play.ht review

Questions people ask

Is Helicone or Play.ht better?
Neither clearly leads. Helicone starts at Free and Play.ht at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Helicone or Play.ht?
Helicone starts at Free and Play.ht at Free.
Does Helicone or Play.ht run on more platforms?
Helicone runs on web, api. Play.ht runs on Web, Api.
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 Play.ht is typically brought in for.
What can Helicone do that Play.ht cannot?
Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Sessions and segments, Helicone Query Language (HQL), Prompt datasets and improvement. Play.ht covers 900+ voices, 142 languages, Voice cloning, Real-time streaming.

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
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
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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