The short answer
Pick Helicone if you call LLM APIs from your own code and want a gateway with request logging, cost visibility and routing. Pick AgentPilots if you run many agents in tools like Grok Bot, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex and want a live view of who is working, who needs approval and who is idle.
What each tool is
Helicone describes itself as an "AI Gateway & LLM Observability" platform (helicone.ai). Requests flow through its gateway so they can be logged and analyzed. Its code is open source under Apache-2.0 (GitHub).
AgentPilots is a lightweight Windows desktop app. It never sits in front of your model calls; instead, agents call an MCP connector to report their state, milestones and messages, and the app shows working, needs-approval and idle indicators, live activity, a graph view and connection snippets.
Feature comparison
| AgentPilots | Helicone | |
|---|---|---|
| Live working / needs-approval / idle status | Yes | No |
| No SDK, proxy or code changes | Yes | No |
| Grok Bot, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex in one view | Yes | No |
| Full trace capture & replay | No | Partial |
| Evals & prompt management | No | Partial |
| Token & cost tracking | Soon | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Lightweight desktop app | Yes | No |
See all details
| Capability | AgentPilots | Helicone |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Live operations view: which agents are working, need approval or are idle | AI gateway and LLM request observability |
| Built for | People who run many agents (operators, founders, agencies) | Developers calling LLM APIs from their own code |
| How agents connect | MCP connector (3 tools). No SDK, no proxy | Gateway / proxy in front of LLM provider calls |
| Code changes required | None for MCP-capable clients: add a server and a short instruction | Yes: route your API calls through the gateway |
| Live working / needs-approval / idle indicators | Yes | Not an operator status board |
| Live activity feed of milestones | Yes | Request logs |
| Full trace and span capture | No | Request-level logging and sessions |
| Evals, datasets, prompt management | No | See their docs |
| Token and cost tracking | Not yet (on the roadmap) | Yes (request-level cost) |
| Grok Bot, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex agents in one view | Yes (Claude Desktop via mcp-remote; ChatGPT not yet) | Covers apps whose API calls you route through it |
| Form factor | Lightweight Windows desktop app | Web app (cloud) and self-hostable |
| Open source | No | Yes (Apache-2.0) |
| Self-hosting | Not applicable (local desktop app) | Yes |
Helicone details are from its public website and docs as of October 13, 2026: helicone.ai, helicone.ai/pricing, github.com/Helicone/helicone. Tell us if something has changed and we'll fix it.
Who should pick which
Choose Helicone if
- You own the code making LLM API calls and can route them through a gateway.
- You want request logs, cost per request and gateway features in one place.
- You want an open-source, self-hostable option.
Choose AgentPilots if
- Your agents run inside tools where you cannot put a proxy in front of the model.
- You want each agent to tell you, in one line, what it's doing and whether it needs you.
- You want a small desktop window rather than another web dashboard.
Pricing summary
| Plan | Published price (checked October 13, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Hobby | Free: 10,000 requests, 1 GB storage, 1 seat |
| Pro | $79 per month (usage-based pricing applies, 7-day free trial) |
| Team | $799 per month |
Source: https://www.helicone.ai/pricing. Vendor prices change, so always check the source. AgentPilots is free during the beta; paid tiers have not been announced.
Can you use both?
Yes. Helicone watches the LLM requests your code makes; AgentPilots shows the operational state of each agent. If you build an agent on top of Helicone, it can also report its status to AgentPilots over MCP.
FAQ
Is AgentPilots a Helicone alternative?
Not really; they sit at different layers. Helicone logs and routes LLM requests through a gateway. AgentPilots shows live agent status reported by the agents themselves. Choose based on which problem you have.
Does AgentPilots proxy my LLM traffic?
No. AgentPilots never sits between your agents and model providers. Agents only send short status updates through its MCP connector.
Is Helicone open source?
Yes. Helicone's repository on GitHub is licensed under Apache-2.0 (checked Oct 13, 2026). AgentPilots is free but not open source.
How much does Helicone cost?
As of Oct 13, 2026, helicone.ai/pricing lists Hobby free (10,000 requests), Pro $79 per month with usage-based pricing, and Team $799 per month. Check the page for current details.
Does AgentPilots show token costs?
Not yet. Usage and cost tracking is on the roadmap but not shipped.
ready for takeoff?
AgentPilots is in private beta. Join the waitlist and we'll email you a download link when it's ready.