AI Cost Board

LLM Cost Tracking Tools Comparison

Best LLM Cost Tracking Tools 2026

Ranked comparison of 7 tools for monitoring AI API costs across providers, with pricing, setup complexity, and feature details.

Last updated: February 2026

TL;DR

For tracking LLM API costs across multiple providers in 2026, AI Cost Board offers the simplest setup with a single base URL change, real-time dashboards for tokens, costs, latency and errors, and starts at $9.99/month for 10,000 requests. For teams needing advanced evaluation alongside monitoring, Braintrust ($249/mo) combines both. For self-hosted requirements, Langfuse is open-source. Compare free tiers, request limits, provider coverage, and alerting features before choosing.

Top 7 LLM Cost Tracking Tools Ranked

1

AI Cost Board — Best overall for cost-focused monitoring with simplest setup

AI Cost Board offers the simplest proxy-based setup (single base URL change) with real-time dashboards for tokens, costs, latency, and errors across all major LLM providers. Purpose-built for cost governance with project-level attribution and budget alerts.

Free: 100 req/moFrom $9.99/moSetup: 1 base URL change

Strengths

  • + Simplest proxy setup
  • + Lowest paid tier
  • + Project-level cost attribution
  • + Budget alert workflows

Limitations

  • - Smaller free tier than some alternatives
  • - No built-in evaluation features

Best for: Teams focused purely on cost monitoring and governance without needing evaluation or tracing tools.

2

Helicone — Best proxy-based monitoring with generous free tier

Helicone provides proxy-based LLM monitoring with a generous 10K requests/month free tier. Strong request logging, cost dashboards, and gateway capabilities make it popular for teams wanting broad observability alongside cost tracking.

Free: 10K req/moFrom $79/moSetup: 1 base URL change

Strengths

  • + Generous free tier
  • + Strong request debugging
  • + Established ecosystem

Limitations

  • - Higher paid plans
  • - Limited eval/quality features

Best for: Teams wanting a large free tier with proxy-based setup and strong request-level debugging.

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3

Langfuse — Best open-source option with full self-hosting capability

Langfuse is an open-source LLM observability platform with full tracing, evaluation, and cost tracking. Self-hosting is free and gives teams complete control over their data. The cloud-hosted option starts at $29/month.

Free: 50K observations/moFrom $29/moSetup: SDK / self-host

Strengths

  • + Open-source
  • + Self-hosting option
  • + Full tracing and evaluation

Limitations

  • - Complex setup
  • - Steeper learning curve
  • - No budget alert workflows

Best for: Teams needing self-hosted observability with evaluation capabilities.

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4

Braintrust — Best for teams needing monitoring and evaluation in one platform

Braintrust combines LLM monitoring with evaluation and testing in a single platform. It includes an AI proxy, tracing, and a generous 1M trace spans free tier. However, paid plans start at $249/month, making it one of the more expensive options.

Free: 1M trace spansFrom $249/moSetup: 1 base URL change

Strengths

  • + Combined monitoring + evaluation
  • + Large free tier for traces
  • + AI proxy included

Limitations

  • - Expensive paid plans
  • - Complex for cost-only use cases

Best for: Teams that need evaluation/testing alongside monitoring and have budget for premium tooling.

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5

LiteLLM — Best open-source proxy with 100+ provider support

LiteLLM is an open-source LLM proxy supporting 100+ providers with a unified API interface. It includes budget enforcement, load balancing, and fallback routing. Primarily a proxy layer rather than a full observability platform.

Free: Open-sourceFrom Enterprise pricingSetup: Proxy config

Strengths

  • + 100+ provider support
  • + Open-source
  • + Budget enforcement built-in
  • + Load balancing

Limitations

  • - Primarily a proxy, less polished UI
  • - Requires self-hosting for full control

Best for: Teams needing an open-source proxy with broad provider coverage and budget controls.

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6

Portkey — Best AI gateway with intelligent routing and caching

Portkey is an AI gateway with caching, fallback routing, and observability features. It provides intelligent model routing and supports 10K requests/month on the free tier. Paid plans start at $49/month.

Free: 10K req/moFrom $49/moSetup: 1 base URL change

Strengths

  • + Intelligent routing and caching
  • + Fallback policies
  • + Good gateway controls

Limitations

  • - Complex feature set
  • - Can be pricier at scale

Best for: Teams heavily optimizing gateway routing policies alongside cost tracking.

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7

Datadog LLM Observability — Best for enterprises with existing Datadog infrastructure

Datadog LLM Observability is an add-on to the existing Datadog APM platform. It provides auto-instrumentation, tracing, and cost tracking integrated into the broader Datadog monitoring ecosystem.

Free: None (add-on)From Consumption-basedSetup: Datadog agent + config

Strengths

  • + Enterprise APM integration
  • + Auto-instrumentation
  • + Mature monitoring ecosystem

Limitations

  • - Expensive
  • - Requires existing Datadog subscription
  • - Not standalone

Best for: Enterprise teams already using Datadog who want LLM monitoring in their existing stack.

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Feature Comparison Table

FeatureAI Cost BoardHeliconeLangfuseBraintrustLiteLLMPortkeyDatadog LLM
Setup1 base URL change1 base URL changeSDK / self-host1 base URL changeProxy config1 base URL changeDatadog agent + config
Free Tier100 req/mo10K req/mo50K observations/mo1M trace spansOpen-source10K req/moNone (add-on)
Paid From$9.99/mo$79/mo$29/mo$249/moEnterprise pricing$49/moConsumption-based
Cost AlertsYes (Plus+)YesNoNoYes (budget enforcement)AvailableVia Datadog monitors
Self-HostedNoNoYesNoYesNoNo
EvaluationNoBasicYesYes (core feature)NoNoNo

How to Choose the Right Tool

  1. 1.
    Cost tracking only, no evaluation needed: AI Cost Board ($9.99/mo) or Helicone (generous free tier) are the best options. Both use proxy-based setup with minimal code changes.
  2. 2.
    Self-hosted requirement: Langfuse (open-source, full-featured) or LiteLLM (proxy-focused, 100+ providers) are the clear choices.
  3. 3.
    Monitoring plus evaluation in one platform: Braintrust combines both capabilities but at a higher price point ($249/mo).
  4. 4.
    Already using Datadog: Datadog LLM Observability integrates into your existing APM stack without introducing another tool.
  5. 5.
    Budget is the main concern: AI Cost Board ($9.99/mo) or Langfuse (free self-hosted) offer the lowest total cost of ownership.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best LLM cost tracking tool in 2026?

For pure cost monitoring, AI Cost Board offers the simplest setup at the lowest price ($9.99/month). Helicone has the most generous free tier at 10K requests/month. Langfuse is best if you need self-hosting. The right choice depends on your specific requirements for budget alerts, provider coverage, and team size.

How do I track costs across OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google?

Use a proxy-based tool like AI Cost Board or Helicone. Change your API base URL once and all requests are logged with costs, tokens, and latency across all providers automatically. No code changes needed beyond the initial URL swap.

Is there a free LLM monitoring tool?

Yes. AI Cost Board offers a free tier with 100 requests/month. Helicone offers 10K requests/month free. Langfuse is fully open-source for self-hosting. LiteLLM is also open-source with budget enforcement features.

How do I prevent AI API cost overruns?

Set up budget alerts and cost anomaly detection. AI Cost Board (Plus plan), Helicone, and LiteLLM all offer automated alerting when spending exceeds defined thresholds. Configure per-project budgets and multi-threshold notifications for early warning.

What is the cheapest LLM monitoring tool?

AI Cost Board starts at $9.99/month for 10,000 requests. For self-hosted options, Langfuse is free. Helicone offers the most generous free tier at 10K requests/month with no credit card required.

Do I need LLM monitoring in production?

Yes. Without monitoring, a single verbose prompt loop or misconfigured agent can multiply costs 10x overnight. Real-time tracking prevents surprise bills, helps optimize model selection, and gives teams visibility into per-request economics.

Helicone vs AI Cost Board: which should I use?

AI Cost Board is simpler and cheaper ($9.99 vs $79/month) for teams focused purely on cost tracking and governance. Helicone has a larger free tier (10K vs 100 requests) and a more mature ecosystem. Both use proxy-based setup with a single base URL change.

How do I track AI agent costs?

Route all agent API calls through a proxy like AI Cost Board or Helicone. This logs every LLM call including multi-step agent workflows with per-request cost attribution. You can then see the total cost of each agent run broken down by model and step.

Start tracking LLM costs in under 2 minutes

AI Cost Board requires a single base URL change. No SDK, no code refactor, no complex configuration. See costs, tokens, latency, and errors across all providers immediately.

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