Helicone
Helicone is an open-source LLM observability platform providing request logging, cost tracking, and caching for AI applications.
Overview
Company: Helicone (San Francisco) Founded: 2023 Funding: $6.5M (Seed, Y Combinator) Pricing: Free tier (generous), Pro at $20/mo, Team at $150/mo
Why They’re Not a Direct Competitor
Helicone tracks API calls. Nomos tracks business decisions.
| Helicone | Nomos Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Cost optimization | Compliance audit |
| Data captured | LLM API requests | Business decisions with context |
| Integration | Proxy between app and LLM | SDK instrumentation |
| Buyer | Cost-conscious developer | Compliance-conscious enterprise |
The Core Difference
Helicone helps developers reduce LLM API costs. Nomos helps enterprises prove AI decisions were authorized.
A Helicone user:
- Wants to cache repeated LLM calls
- Needs to see spend by model/feature
- Is optimizing API costs
- Cares about latency monitoring
A Nomos user:
- Needs audit trails for regulators
- Wants to explain AI decisions to legal
- Requires tamper-evident records
- Is preparing for SOC 2 or HIPAA audit
Different Problems, Different Buyers
Helicone is sold to developers worried about their OpenAI bill. Nomos is sold to compliance teams worried about their audit.
The overlap is “observability for AI”—but that’s like saying a car and a bicycle overlap because they’re both “transportation.”
Use Both
A mature AI team might use:
- Helicone for cost control (caching, rate limiting, spend alerts)
- Nomos for compliance (decision trails, authorization context, audit exports)
No conflict. Different problems.
Threat Level: Low
Helicone is focused on cost optimization and developer experience. They’re not building enterprise compliance features. Different product direction.