Comparison
Optimaq vs. observability vs. evaluation
Optimaq doesn’t compete with observability or evaluation: it sits on a different layer. Observability measures what happens, evaluation measures whether an answer is good, and Optimaq decides what to change to spend less without breaking the product. All three are complementary — here’s where each one fits.
| Layer | Tools | Answers | Output | What it does NOT do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Observability | Helicone, Langfuse, LangSmith | How much do I spend and what’s happening in my calls? | Metrics, traces, cost & latency dashboards | Doesn’t tell you what to change or validate quality |
| Evaluation | Braintrust, Promptfoo, Galileo | Is this answer good? | Quality scores, tests, prompt comparisons | Doesn’t compute the economic impact or the risk |
| Unit economics — Optimaq | Optimaq | What do I change to spend less without breaking the product? | Verdict: what to change, savings, quality certified by real outcome, and regression risk | Doesn’t replace your observability or evals — it consumes them |
How to read the table
Observability and evaluation generate the data; Optimaq turns it into a decision. You can use all three at once: it integrates with one line of SDK (Python/Node) and hosts data in Madrid (GCP europe-southwest1) as a data processor (GDPR Art. 28).
Looking for an "alternative to…"?
"Alternative to Helicone / Langfuse": if you want another observability tool, they’re legitimate, comparable options. But if your real goal is to cut cost per request without degrading quality, none of them does that alone — they show you the spend, not the decision. There Optimaq isn’t an alternative: it’s the layer on top.
"Alternative to Braintrust / Promptfoo": they cover evaluation well. If what you want is to decide which configuration to use to spend less with validated quality, that’s unit economics, not pure evaluation.
"How to cut LLM cost without losing quality": that’s exactly what Optimaq answers — you capture your real traffic with one line of SDK, we re-run it against cheaper configurations, and you get a verdict with savings and quality certified by real outcome.
FAQ
Does Optimaq replace Helicone or Langfuse?
No. It consumes observability data and adds the decision layer. You keep using your current observability tool.
Is it an evaluation tool like Braintrust or Promptfoo?
No. Evaluation measures whether a response is good; Optimaq decides which configuration saves money without degrading quality, certifying it by its real outcome in your product.
Does it change my production automatically?
Not by default. The routing gateway is opt-in and off: first you decide, then you choose whether to execute it.
Where is data stored?
In Madrid (GCP europe-southwest1), with Optimaq as data processor (GDPR Art. 28). Certifications like SOC 2 or ISO are on the roadmap, not yet available.
See it on your own prompts — savings + proof that quality holds.
Try /audit →