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AI · head to head

Helicone vs Windmill

Helicone logo

Helicone

AI

Open-source LLM observability and gateway platform for AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Windmill logo

Windmill

Automation Integration

Open-source developer platform for building scripts, workflows, and internal apps

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.; Windmill free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
  • They diverge on capability: Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helicone and Windmill actually diverge.

Attributes where Helicone and Windmill differ
AttributeHeliconeWindmill
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
Platformsweb, apiweb, api, linux, windows, mac
CategoryAIAutomation Integration

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 Windmill

  • Script-to-workflow engine
  • Auto-generated UIs
  • Self-hosted deployment
  • Git sync
  • SSO support
  • Audit logs

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

Windmill

  • Turning ad-hoc scripts into scheduled jobs and APIsnot Helicone
  • Building internal tools from existing Python/TypeScript codenot Helicone
  • Self-hosted automation for engineering teamsnot Helicone
  • Orchestrating multi-language workflowsnot 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.

Windmill

  • Free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
  • Compute unit and seat-based pricing (developer vs. operator seats, worker compute units) adds pricing complexity beyond a flat monthly fee.
  • Email triggers are capped at 100/day on the free tier, limiting event-driven use cases without upgrading.
  • Smaller ecosystem of pre-built integrations compared to more established automation tools like n8n.

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

Windmill

Free
  • Free / Open-sourceFree
    • Unlimited executions
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Max 10 users with SSO
  • Enterprise$120/month
    • Unlimited executions and workspaces
    • Uncapped SSO seats
    • 24/7 priority support (3-hour response)

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 Windmill if

  • You need script-to-workflow engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
  • You also want auto-generated uis.
Windmill review

Questions people ask

Is Helicone or Windmill better?
Neither clearly leads. Helicone starts at Free and Windmill at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Helicone or Windmill?
Helicone starts at Free and Windmill at Free.
Does Helicone or Windmill run on more platforms?
Helicone runs on web, api. Windmill runs on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
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 Windmill is typically brought in for.
What can Helicone do that Windmill cannot?
Helicone covers Request dashboard and tracking, Sessions and segments, Helicone Query Language (HQL), Prompt datasets and improvement. Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine, Auto-generated UIs, Self-hosted deployment, Git sync.

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
Windmill: What does Windmill cost?

Windmill's Free and Open-source edition is $0/month for self-hosted use with unlimited executions, while Enterprise starts at $120/month with unlimited workspaces and uncapped SSO seats, priced further by developer/operator seats and compute units.

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
Windmill: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

The free self-hosted plan supports unlimited executions but caps SSO at 10 users, workspaces at 3, groups/permissions at 4, and email triggers at 100 per day.

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
Windmill: How is usage metered on Windmill Enterprise?

Enterprise usage is metered through seats (developer seats at $20/month, operator seats at $10/month) and compute units, e.g. $100/month for 2 standard-worker compute units.

Source
Windmill: What happens to a self-hosted Windmill deployment if the company shuts down?

The pricing page addresses this directly as an FAQ topic, noting that self-hosted applications built on the open-source edition can continue running independently of Windmill the company.

Source
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