// machine-readable · what an agent sees on /compare

$ agent-view /compare

verdict: "If you want to understand spend, buy a trace viewer.
         If you want to control it per-agent, with the agent as customer: us."
matrix:
  enforcement:     {agentledger: "402 pre-provider", langsmith: "402 gateway-only",
                    helicone: "spend rate-limits", braintrust: "none", openrouter: "per-key spend limits"}
  budget_unit:     {agentledger: "agent_id", others: "org/key/user or none"}
  also_in_space:  {litellm: "gateway spend controls", portkey: "gateway spend controls",
                   langdb: "gateway spend controls", revenium: "api metering",
                   langfuse: "trace observability"}
  agent_purchase:  {agentledger: "$0.10 x402", others: "none"}
  price:           {agentledger: "free ≤3 agents; $0.10/24h x402 pass", langsmith: "$39/seat",
                    helicone: "$79/mo", braintrust: "$249/mo", openrouter: "usage"}
  prices_verified: "2026-09-19"

// human-readable · aiagentscity.com/compare · prices verified 2026-09-19

Built to enforce.
Not to report.

Trace viewers are excellent at answering "what did my agent do?" — after you've paid for it. AgentLedger answers a different question: "stop the call that breaks the budget." Here's the honest map, including where the competition wins.

	AgentLedger	LangSmith	Helicone	Braintrust	OpenRouter
Stops the overspend	Yes — 402 before provider contact	Yes — gateway spend policies, 402their gateway traffic only	Spend-based rate limitsthrottles, not budgets	No — cost regression tracking	Per-key spend limitsOpenRouter-routed traffic only
Budgets belong to the agent	Yes — keyed to agent_id	Org / key / user	No	No	API keys
Agent buys itself	$0.10 x402, no human	No	No	No	No
Trace debugging	No — by design	Best in class	Yes	Eval-first	No
Price	$0.10 / 24h pass (x402)	$39/seat/mo	$79/mo	$249/mo	usage-based

If you want to understand your spend, buy a trace viewer — LangSmith's is superb. If you want to control it, per agent, with the agent itself as the customer — that's us.

Also in the space

LiteLLM, Portkey, LangDB — gateway proxies with per-key spend controls, scoped to the traffic routed through them. Revenium — API metering for monetization. Langfuse — open-source trace observability. Gateway- and trace-layer tools see their own layer; AgentLedger enforces per-agent budgets with a 402 before any provider is contacted, and the agent itself can buy Pro.

Try the enforcement live — no signup

Built to enforce.Not to report.

Also in the space

Built to enforce.
Not to report.