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Helicone vs LangSmith
Trust Score comparison · March 2026
Signal Comparison
18k / wknpm downloads2.5M / wk
180 commitsCommits (90d)220 commits
3k ★GitHub stars3.5k ★
20 q'sStack Overflow200 q's
MediumCommunityHigh
HeliconeLangSmith
Key Differences
| Factor | Helicone | LangSmith |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache 2.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript / Python |
| Hosted | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open Source | ✓ Yes | — |
| TypeScript | ✓ | ✓ |
Pick Helicone if…
- You want minimal-friction observability — just change your base URL
- Caching identical LLM requests to cut costs
- Quick cost and latency dashboards without SDK changes
Pick LangSmith if…
- Your app is built on LangChain or LangGraph — integration is seamless
- You need prompt management and dataset-driven evaluations
- Team wants a managed cloud with minimal setup
Side-by-side Quick Start
Helicone
import OpenAI from 'openai';
const client = new OpenAI({
apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY,
baseURL: 'https://oai.helicone.ai/v1',
defaultHeaders: { 'Helicone-Auth': `Bearer ${process.env.HELICONE_API_KEY}` },
});
// All calls are now logged automaticallyLangSmith
import { Client } from 'langsmith';
const client = new Client({ apiKey: process.env.LANGSMITH_API_KEY });
// Auto-traces when LANGCHAIN_TRACING_V2=true is set
// Or manually:
const run = await client.createRun({
name: 'my-llm-call',
run_type: 'llm',
inputs: { prompt: 'Hello' },
});Community Verdict
Based on upvoted notes🏆
LangSmith wins this comparison
Trust Score 80 vs 73 · 7-point difference
LangSmith leads on Trust Score with stronger signal data across downloads and community health. That said, the other tool is worth considering if your use case matches its specific strengths above.