Helicone and Portkey are observability platforms designed to optimize large language model (LLM) applications, each offering distinct features tailored to different user needs. Helicone provides flexibility with dual logging methods through proxy and asynchronous options, facilitating integration across various deployment scenarios, and focuses on optimization metrics such as cost tracking and user analytics, making it ideal for cross-functional teams and non-technical users. Its open-source nature supports comprehensive data collection and cost optimization while allowing experimentation with prompts on production traffic without code changes. In contrast, Portkey specializes in gateway-focused observability with advanced AI gateway capabilities, enabling integration of multiple AI models via a single API, and offers robust prompt management through its modular architecture. It is particularly suited for teams seeking extensive control over LLM behavior with a comprehensive guardrails system. Both platforms support major LLM providers and offer free tiers, but Helicone's detailed insights and user-friendly interface cater to a broader range of team compositions, whereas Portkey's strengths lie in its customizable LLM behavior and security control. The choice between the two depends on specific use cases, team needs, and project priorities, with both having strong security and privacy measures.