Helicone
Helicone: Open-source monitoring for generative AI applications.
Acquired Helicone
Acquired · March 2026
Still operating. Mintlify acquired Helicone, the open-source LLM observability platform and AI gateway, in a deal announced on March 3, 2026; terms were undisclosed. Founders Justin Torre and Cole Gottdank joined Mintlify. Helicone stays live in maintenance mode, with security updates, new model support and bug fixes still shipping, and paid plans still on sale.
Acquired by Mintlify.
Last known pricing: Hobby free (10,000 requests); Pro $79/month; Team $799/month; Enterprise by quote; usage-based overages (helicone.ai/pricing, September 2026).
Is Helicone shut down?
No — Helicone is still operating. Its acquisition by Mintlify was announced on March 3, 2026, and the product continues to ship. We list it in the ToolDirectory.AI graveyard's acquired-but-operating section and watch for post-acquisition changes.
What to use instead
Overview
Helicone: The Ultimate Monitoring Solution for Generative AI
Helicone is a groundbreaking open-source platform dedicated to monitoring generative AI applications. With thousands of users and organizations leveraging its capabilities, Helicone provides real-time insights into latency, costs, and other vital metrics. Whether you're looking to monitor spending, analyze traffic peaks, or track latency patterns, Helicone has got you covered. Its user-centric development, community collaboration, and absolute transparency make it a preferred choice for developers and businesses alike. By focusing on user needs and offering a range of features like bucket cache, custom properties, and streaming support, Helicone ensures that AI applications run smoothly and efficiently.
Acquisition note (March 2026): Mintlify acquired Helicone on March 3, 2026, on undisclosed terms, and the founding team joined Mintlify. Helicone remains live in maintenance mode: security updates, new models and bug fixes continue, but major new features are not expected.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive monitoring of generative AI applications
- Real-time metrics for usage and performance analysis
- User management tools for rate limiting and metrics tracking
- Tooling for LLMs with features like bucket cache and custom properties
- Seamless integration with popular platforms like OpenAI
Ideal Use Case:
Helicone is designed for developers, businesses, and organizations that utilize generative AI applications. It ensures that these applications are monitored effectively, providing insights that can lead to optimized performance and cost savings.
Why use Helicone:
- Open-source platform with a commitment to transparency
- Real-time insights into AI application performance
- Comprehensive toolset for managing and monitoring LLMs
- Trusted by a vast community of users and organizations
- Easy integration with just a few lines of code
tl;dr:
Helicone offers an open-source monitoring solution for generative AI, ensuring that developers and businesses can optimize performance, manage costs, and maintain high-quality AI applications.
FAQ
Who owns Helicone? Helicone is owned by Mintlify, which acquired it on March 3, 2026. The service is still running and sold, but in maintenance mode.
Q: What does Helicone do? A: Helicone: Open-source monitoring for generative AI applications.
Q: What is Helicone's pricing? A: Pricing varies by plan. Visit the Helicone pricing page for current tiers and details.
Q: Who is Helicone for? A: Helicone is commonly used by developers and engineering teams.
Q: What can replace Helicone? A: Top alternatives to Helicone include GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and v0. Browse the directory for full feature comparisons across these tools.
Related
Looking for more options? Browse the Developer Tools directory or read our best AI coding tools listicle. Helicone is also tracked on Crunchbase.
Why Use Helicone
