Prompt engineering tools help optimize AI-generated responses. Discover the best tools, compare features, and find the right one for your needs.
Prompt engineering tools are becoming increasingly important as more users look for ways to improve how they interact with AI models. Prompt engineering is the process of crafting, refining, and optimizing the inputs — or prompts — you give to an AI system to elicit more accurate, useful, or creative responses.
Prompt engineering apps, or AI prompt software, help you do exactly that, making it easier to coax better performance from AI. With a growing number of prompting tools available, understanding which ones stand out in terms of functionality, supported AI models, and pricing options can help you identify the best choice for your particular needs. I evaluated the most commonly used platforms to see how they compare. Here are my picks for the six best prompt engineering tools for 2025.
PromptLayer: Best overall
Helicone: Best for prompt version control
PromptPerfect: Best for automatic prompt optimization
LangSmith: Best for multi-step workflows
OpenAI Playground: Best for interactive prompt engineering
Promptmetheus: Best for prompt performance tracking Best prompt engineering tools comparison
The table below summarizes the key details of the prompt engineering tools on my list and presents a clear snapshot of each tool’s overall rating, supported types of AI models, availability of free tiers, and starting prices.
Prompt engineering tool Overall rating Multimodal prompting Supported types of AI models Free tier Starting price
PromptLayer 4.6/5 Yes Text and image ✅ $50 per user, per month
Helicone 4.6/5 Yes Text and image ✅ $20 per user, per month
PromptPerfect 4.5/5 Yes Text and image ✅ $19.99 per month, with 500 daily requests
LangSmith 3.8/5 No Text only ✅ $39 per user, per month
OpenAI Playground 3.7/5 No Text only ❌ Starts at $1.10 per one million input tokens for gpt-o1-mini and o3-mini
Promptmetheus 3.5/5 No Text only ✅ $29 per user, per month
PromptLayer
Helicone
PromptPerfect
LangSmith
OpenAI Playground
Promptmetheus
5 key features of prompt engineering tools
How I evaluated prompt engineering tools
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Bottom line: Prompt engineering tools boost efficiencyPromptLayer
Best OverallOverall Rating: 4.6/5
Core Features: 4.5/5
Cost: 4.7/5
Model Compatibility and Multi-Modal Support: 5/5
Customer Support: 3.3/5
Ease of Use: 5/5
PromptLayer is my best overall prompt engineering tool thanks to powerful built-in features that enhance prompt management, testing, and deployment for large language models (LLMs). Some of PromptLayer’s strongest features include prompt versioning, which simplifies iterations and prompt comparisons, and advanced logging that tracks API requests and metadata for thorough prompt performance analysis.
Aside from its solid capabilities, PromptLayer now supports multimodal prompting, meaning you can even work with vision models — a big plus for developers building more complex, interactive AI experiences. The tool also boasts competitive pricing, a user-friendly interface, and compatibility with various artificial intelligence (AI) models. While the tool is excellent, the free plan has a hard limit of 5,000 prompt requests. If that feels tight for your workflow, Helicone offers a significantly more generous free plan.Product design
PromptLayer features an intuitive, well-organized interface that displays a wealth of options for monitoring different aspects of prompt engineering. It has tabs for evaluation, analytics, and a Playground, allowing you to track metrics and performance indicators efficiently. But the best thing about PromptLayer’s interface is that it lets you hide certain sections and elements so you can focus on the most relevant information.Why I picked PromptLayer
PromptLayer is my pick for best overall prompt engineering tool because it empowers users to actively participate in the prompt development process. Prompt engineering can be challenging, and PromptLayer helps resolve that. Its combination of usability and extensive features makes this tool a valuable asset for organizations looking to accelerate their prompting processes.Pros and cons
ProsCons
Multi-modal prompting Free tier lacks prompt management features
A/B prompt testing Free plan is limited to 5000 overall prompt requests
Prompt collaboration Extensive features may be overwhelming for beginnersPricing
Free Plan: Limited to 5,000 requests overall
Pro Plan: $50 per user, per month
Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on needs
Learn more on PromptLayer’s pricing page.Features
Prompt management
Team collaboration
Prompt evaluation
Usage monitoring
Prompt comparison Helicone
Best for Prompt Version ControlOverall Rating: 4.6/5
Core Features: 4.3/5
Cost: 5/5
Model Compatibility and Multi-Modal Support: 5/5
Customer Support: 5/5
Ease of Use: 3.8/5
Helicone is an LLM observability platform with integrated prompt engineering capabilities. It excels in prompt version control, making it ideal for teams needing to track, manage, and iterate on AI prompts over time. This AI prompt software automatically records each change, allowing you to run A/B tests and compare prompt performance. It also supports dataset tracking and rollbacks so you can detect and correct problematic prompts without disrupting production prompts.
Helicone is multimodal, with support for both text and image models, and its customer support is highly accessible and responsive, making it easy to get help when needed. Although PromptLayer ranked first, this prompt software was a very close second. With that said, Helicone’s prompt engineering scope, like its parameter tuning, is not as comprehensive as other dedicated tools. PromptLayer is an excellent alternative if you’re looking for a prompt engineering software with more in-depth features.Product design
Helicone’s prompting interface is built with a clean layout and a dashboard view that shows prompt versions, inputs, and outputs. While this design is simple and useful for basic versioning and tracking, it may be too simple and brings limited options for parameter tuning, restricting advanced users seeking more customization. Also, technical skills such as variable manipulation and database integration are often necessary for complex functions in Helicone.Why I picked Helicone
I recommend Helicone because, in addition to its robust feature set, it provides a generous free version and accessible customer support. It effectively aids in perfecting prompts while maintaining production stability. Among the prompt engineering tools I tested, Helicone stood out by allowing users to chat directly with one of its founders — a rare and valuable level of access that speaks volumes about the team’s commitment. Its customer support team ensures I get the help I need, when I need it.Pros and cons
ProsCons
Generous free plan Limited parameter tuning options
Multi-modal prompting Several functionalities require additional payment
Prompt A/B testing Fewer prompt engineering features compared to competitorsPricing
Free: Limited to 10,000 monthly requests
Pro: $20 per seat, per month
Team: $200 per month, unlimited seats
Enterprise: Custom pricing for companies looking to scale
Learn more on Helicone’s pricing page.Features
Prompt versioning monitoring
Request caching
Log omission
Request labeling and segmentation
Prompt security PromptPerfect
Best for Automatic Prompt OptimizationOverall Rating: 4.5/5
Core Features: 4.3/5
Cost: 5/5
Model Compatibility and Multi-Modal Support: 5/5
Customer Support: 2/5
Ease of Use: 5/5
PromptPerfect by Jina AI is an automatic prompt optimization tool that caters to both text and image models.
