Software Development · head to head
Langfuse vs LangSmith
Langfuse
Software Development
Simple pricing for projects of all sizes
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
LangSmith
Software Development
Know what your agents are really doing
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Langfuse billing is metered per unit, where a unit is any trace, observation, or score sent to the platform; the free Hobby tier includes only 50,000 units per month before graduated per-unit charges apply, as of August 2026.; LangSmith usage beyond the included trace allotment is billed in LangChain Compute Units at $1.50 per LCU and Storage Units at $1.00 per LSU, an unfamiliar metering unit compared to flat per-seat pricing, as of August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Langfuse and LangSmith actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Software Development).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Langfuse
- Billing is metered per unit, where a unit is any trace, observation, or score sent to the platform; the free Hobby tier includes only 50,000 units per month before graduated per-unit charges apply, as of August 2026.
LangSmith
- Usage beyond the included trace allotment is billed in LangChain Compute Units at $1.50 per LCU and Storage Units at $1.00 per LSU, an unfamiliar metering unit compared to flat per-seat pricing, as of August 2026.
Pricing, plan by plan
Langfuse
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Langfuse review.
LangSmith
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the LangSmith review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Langfuse if
Nothing in the data separates Langfuse from LangSmith on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose LangSmith if
Nothing in the data separates LangSmith from Langfuse on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Langfuse or LangSmith better?
- Neither clearly leads. Langfuse starts at On request and LangSmith at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Langfuse or LangSmith?
- Langfuse starts at On request and LangSmith at On request.
- Does Langfuse or LangSmith run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.