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Software Development · head to head

Langfuse vs LangSmith

Langfuse logo

Langfuse

Software Development

Simple pricing for projects of all sizes

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LangSmith logo

LangSmith

Software Development

Know what your agents are really doing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Langfuse free Hobby plan limited to 2 users and 30-day data retention; LangSmith usage-based pricing applies beyond included traces; LCU charges at $1.50/LCU and LSU at $1.00/LSU
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Langfuse and LangSmith actually diverge.

Attributes where Langfuse and LangSmith differ
AttributeLangfuseLangSmith

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Software Development).

What people use each for

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

Langfuse

No use cases recorded yet. See the Langfuse review.

LangSmith

  • Tracing agent execution step-by-step in productionnot Langfuse
  • Detecting agent failures affecting latency and costnot Langfuse
  • Monitoring token usage and latency percentilesnot Langfuse
  • Clustering traces to identify failure modesnot Langfuse
  • Self-hosting traces within VPC for data residencynot Langfuse

Where each one falls short

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

Langfuse

  • Free Hobby plan limited to 2 users and 30-day data retention
  • Overage pricing applies beyond included units; graduated rates from $8.00 per 100k units down to $6.00 per 100k units at 50M+ volume

LangSmith

  • Usage-based pricing applies beyond included traces; LCU charges at $1.50/LCU and LSU at $1.00/LSU
  • Free tier limited to 1 seat and 5,000 traces per month

Pricing, plan by plan

Langfuse

Free
  • HobbyFree
    • 50k units/month
    • 30-day data retention
    • 2 users maximum
  • Core$29/month
    • 100k units/month
    • 90-day data retention
    • Unlimited users
  • Pro$199/month
    • 100k units/month
    • 3-year data retention
    • SOC2 & ISO27001 compliance
  • Enterprise$2499/month
    • Custom rate limits
    • Dedicated support engineer
    • SCIM API & audit logs

LangSmith

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • 1 seat maximum
    • 5,000 base traces monthly
  • Plus$39/month
    • Unlimited seats
    • 10,000 base traces monthly
    • 1 free small serverless deployment
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • Custom pricing
    • Self-hosted and hybrid options
    • Custom SSO, ABAC, RBAC

Which should you pick?

Choose Langfuse if

  • You want to start without paying.
Langfuse review

Choose LangSmith if

  • You want to start without paying.
LangSmith review

Questions people ask

Is Langfuse or LangSmith better?
Neither clearly leads. Langfuse starts at Free and LangSmith at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Langfuse or LangSmith?
Langfuse starts at Free and LangSmith at Free.
Does Langfuse or LangSmith run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Langfuse for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Langfuse: What does Langfuse cost?

Langfuse starts at $29/month for the Core plan (100k units/month). Pro costs $199/month with 3-year data retention. Enterprise costs $2499/month for custom rate limits and dedicated support.

Source
LangSmith: What does LangSmith cost?

LangSmith Developer plan is free with up to 5,000 base traces monthly. Plus plan costs $39/month per seat with 10,000 base traces included. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Source
Langfuse: Does Langfuse have a free plan?

Yes, the Hobby plan is free with 50k units/month, 30-day data retention, and support for up to 2 users.

Source
LangSmith: How does LangSmith usage-based pricing work?

Beyond included traces, LangSmith charges $1.50 per LCU (LangChain Compute Unit) for computational work and $1.00 per LSU (LangChain Storage Unit) for data storage.

Source
Langfuse: What happens if I exceed my unit limits on Langfuse?

Overage pricing applies with graduated rates: $8.00 per 100k units for 100k-1M units, $7.00 per 100k units for 1M-10M units, $6.50 per 100k units for 10M-50M units, and $6.00 per 100k units for 50M+ units.

Source
LangSmith: Is there a free tier for LangSmith?

Yes, the Developer plan is free with limits on seat count (1 seat maximum) and trace volume (5,000 base traces per month).

Source
Langfuse: Are there discounts available on Langfuse?

Early-stage startups receive 50% off the first year. Research and student accounts qualify for up to 100% off. Non-profits receive $199 monthly credits.

Source
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