ET Ducky vs Grafana OnCall: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between ET Ducky 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 wins this matchup. SolarWinds is our overall Monitoring pick. Hookdeck is our free Monitoring pick. Pick ET Ducky if you need monitoring.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
We've tested both tools. Here's who should pick what:
ET Ducky
Kernel-level telemetry for instant root-cause analysis
Best for you if:
- • Internal IT teams and MSPs managing Windows and Linux servers and desktops, from one server to thousands of endpoints
- • You want automated Troubleshooting
- • You want automated Root Cause Analysis
Grafana OnCall
On-call management for Grafana
Best for you if:
- • You want open source on-call
- • You want grafana integration
| At a Glance | ET Ducky | Grafana OnCall |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | FreeFree tier available | FreeFree tier available |
Best For | Monitoring | Incident Management |
Rating | - | 4.5/5G2 4.5 |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Watch out for | n/a | Pro tier requires $19/month Grafana Cloud base |
Choose ET Ducky or Grafana OnCall?
Choose ET Ducky if
Kernel-level telemetry for instant root-cause analysis
- Internal IT teams and MSPs managing Windows and Linux servers and desktops, from one server to thousands of endpoints
- You want automated Troubleshooting
- You want automated Root Cause Analysis
- Your work is monitoring-shaped, not incident management-shaped
Choose Grafana OnCall if
On-call management for Grafana
- You want open source on-call
- You want grafana integration
- Your work is incident management-shaped, not monitoring-shaped
| Feature | ET Ducky | Grafana OnCall |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| User Rating | No ratings yet | ★4.5/5 150 reviews |
| Categories | MonitoringSecurity | Incident ManagementDevOps |
In-Depth Analysis
ET Ducky
Kernel-level telemetry for instant root-cause analysis
The free tier is a strong entry point for users who bring their own AI key, but the Business ($99) and Enterprise ($249) tiers offer no additional agent count beyond the 20-per-user pool, making them better suited for orgs needing higher AI query volume and support rather than agent density.
Strengths
- +Automated Troubleshooting
- +Automated Root Cause Analysis
- +Self-hosted Option
- +No Minimum Endpoint Count
Weaknesses
- -No Mac Support
Key features
Grafana OnCall
On-call management for Grafana
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
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
Pricing: ET Ducky vs Grafana OnCall
| Plan | ET Ducky | Grafana OnCall |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 0 month Free query tier | Free Free |
| Tier 2 | 39 month Professional | $20 /user/month Pro |
| Tier 3 | 99 month Business | from $25K/year Enterprise |
| Tier 4 | 249 month Enterprise | N/A |
Pricing verified from each vendor's public pricing page. Compare in detail on ET Ducky pricing and Grafana OnCall pricing.
Who Should Use What?
On a budget?
Both are freemium. Compare plans on their websites.
Go with: ET Ducky
Want the highest-rated option?
Grafana OnCall is rated 4.5/5. ET Ducky has no ratings yet.
Go with: Grafana OnCall
Value user reviews?
ET Ducky: no ratings yet. Grafana OnCall: 150 reviews (4.5/5).
Go with: Grafana OnCall
3 Questions to Help You Decide
What's your budget?
Both are freemium. Pricing won't help you decide here.
What's your use case?
ET Ducky is a monitoring tool. Grafana OnCall is in incident management. Pick the category that matches your needs.
How important are ratings?
Grafana OnCall is rated 4.5/5; ET Ducky has no ratings yet.
Key Takeaways
Grafana OnCall
- Free tier available
- Our pick for this comparison
ET Ducky
- Better fit for monitoring
The Bottom Line
Grafana OnCall wins this matchup. SolarWinds is our overall Monitoring pick. Hookdeck is our free Monitoring pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ET Ducky or Grafana OnCall better?
Grafana OnCall is rated in our evaluation. Both are freemium.
What are ET Ducky and Grafana OnCall used for?
ET Ducky: Kernel-level telemetry for instant root-cause analysis. Grafana OnCall: On-call management for Grafana.
What does ET Ducky cost vs Grafana OnCall?
ET Ducky is freemium (free tier + paid plans). Grafana OnCall is freemium (free tier + paid plans). Visit their websites for detailed pricing.