BigPanda vs Grafana OnCall: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between BigPanda and Grafana OnCall comes down to understanding what each tool does best. This comparison breaks down the key differences so you can make an informed decision based on your specific needs, not marketing claims.
Bottom line: Grafana OnCall is our overall pick for incident management workflows. Pick BigPanda if you need AI agents.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
We've tested both tools. Here's who should pick what:
BigPanda
Proactive ITOps automation with an AI-powered knowledge graph
Best for you if:
- • You need AI agents features specifically
- • BigPanda uses agentic AI to prevent, detect, triage, and resolve IT incidents, reducing manual work and operational costs.
- • The platform unifies tribal knowledge from tools, tickets, and people into a living knowledge graph, giving AI context to reason and act.
Grafana OnCall
On-call management for Grafana
Best for you if:
- • You want to try before committing
- • You need incident management features specifically
- • Grafana OnCall is an open-source on-call management and alerting system
- • It routes alerts, manages schedules, and escalates incidents integrated with Grafana
| At a Glance |  BigPanda |  Grafana OnCall |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Custom | FreeFree tier available |
Best For | AI Agents | Incident Management |
Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.5/5 |
Free plan | No | Yes |
Choose BigPanda or Grafana OnCall?
Choose BigPanda if
Proactive ITOps automation with an AI-powered knowledge graph
- Reduces manual IT operations and accelerates incident resolution, freeing teams to focus on high-value work.
- Works with messy, real-world data from day one and improves it as a byproduct of daily operations.
- Integrates seamlessly with existing tools like ServiceNow, observability platforms, and CI/CD systems.
- Your work is AI agents-shaped, not incident management-shaped
Choose Grafana OnCall if
On-call management for Grafana
- Open source on-call
- Grafana integration
- Good alerting
- You want a free tier before you commit
- Your work is incident management-shaped, not AI agents-shaped
| Feature | BigPanda | Grafana OnCall |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Paid | Freemium |
| User Rating | ★4.3/5 164 reviews | ★4.5/5 222 reviews |
| Categories | AI AgentsAI & Automation | Incident ManagementDevOps |
In-Depth Analysis
BigPanda
Proactive ITOps automation with an AI-powered knowledge graph
Strengths
- +Reduces manual IT operations and accelerates incident resolution, freeing teams to focus on high-value work.
- +Works with messy, real-world data from day one and improves it as a byproduct of daily operations.
- +Integrates seamlessly with existing tools like ServiceNow, observability platforms, and CI/CD systems.
Weaknesses
- -Designed for enterprise IT teams, which may be overkill for smaller organizations with simpler operations.
- -Requires integration with existing IT tools and data sources to fully leverage its AI capabilities.
Key features
Value 45/100. BigPanda's pricing is opaque and likely expensive, as all tiers require contacting sales with no listed prices.
Watch out: Annual-only billing cycle required
Grafana OnCall
On-call management for Grafana
Strengths
- +Open source on-call
- +Grafana integration
- +Good alerting
- +Self-hostable
- +PagerDuty alternative
Weaknesses
- -Newer product
- -Less features than PagerDuty
- -Documentation improving
- -Setup complexity
- -Enterprise features limited
Key features
Value 85/100. Grafana OnCall's pricing is quite competitive, especially with its generous Free tier offering 3 users.
Watch out: Pro tier requires $19/month Grafana Cloud base
Pricing: BigPanda vs Grafana OnCall
| Plan | BigPanda | Grafana OnCall |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Contact for pricing AI Incident Prevention | Free Free |
| Tier 2 | Contact for pricing AI Detection and Response | $20 /user/month Pro |
| Tier 3 | Contact for pricing L1 Agent | from $25K/year Enterprise |
| Tier 4 | Contact for pricing AI Incident Assistant | N/A |
Pricing verified from each vendor's public pricing page. Compare in detail on BigPanda pricing and Grafana OnCall pricing.
Who Should Use What?
On a budget?
Grafana OnCall has a free tier. BigPanda is paid only.
Go with: Grafana OnCall
Want the highest-rated option?
BigPanda: 4.3/5 (164 reviews). Grafana OnCall: 4.5/5 (222 reviews).
Go with: Grafana OnCall
Value user reviews?
BigPanda: 164 reviews (4.3/5). Grafana OnCall: 222 reviews (4.5/5).
Go with: Grafana OnCall
3 Questions to Help You Decide
What's your budget?
BigPanda is paid. Grafana OnCall is freemium. Grafana OnCall lets you start free.
What's your use case?
BigPanda is a AI agents tool. Grafana OnCall is in incident management. Pick the category that matches your needs.
How important are ratings?
Grafana OnCall is rated higher: 4.5/5 vs 4.3/5.
Key Takeaways
Grafana OnCall
- Higher user rating: 4.5/5 vs 4.3/5
- Larger review base (222 reviews)
- Free tier available
- Our pick for this comparison
BigPanda
- Better fit for AI agents
The Bottom Line
Grafana OnCall is our pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BigPanda or Grafana OnCall better?
Grafana OnCall is rated in our evaluation. BigPanda is paid and Grafana OnCall is freemium.
What are BigPanda and Grafana OnCall used for?
BigPanda: Proactive ITOps automation with an AI-powered knowledge graph. Grafana OnCall: On-call management for Grafana.
What does BigPanda cost vs Grafana OnCall?
BigPanda is a paid tool. Grafana OnCall is freemium (free tier + paid plans). Visit their websites for detailed pricing.