Grafana vs VictoriaMetrics: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Grafana and VictoriaMetrics side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Grafana
Observability and visualization platform
Best for you if:
- • You want powerful dashboards
VictoriaMetrics
Simple, reliable, and efficient monitoring for everyone, built by engineers for engineers.
Best for you if:
- • You want significantly reduces compute and storage costs compared to alternatives
| At a Glance | Grafana | VictoriaMetrics |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $19/mo, billed monthly Pro plan | Free plan |
Category | Monitoring DevOps | DevOps Monitoring |
Rating | 4.5/5 G2 4.5 · Capterra 4.6 275 reviews | n/a |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Watch out for | AI features cost $20/user/month | n/a |
Choose Grafana or VictoriaMetrics?
Choose Grafana if
- You want powerful dashboards
- You want many data sources
- You work in monitoring, not DevOps
Choose VictoriaMetrics if
- You want significantly reduces compute and storage costs compared to alternatives
- You want exceptional data compression allows for storing more data for longer periods
- You work in DevOps, not monitoring
In-Depth Analysis
Grafana
Observability and visualization platform
Grafana OSS is completely free for self-hosted visualization.
Watch out
AI features cost $20/user/month
Strengths
- Pro: Powerful dashboards
- Pro: Many data sources
- Pro: Open source
Weaknesses
- Con: Complex setup
- Con: Resource intensive
Key features
VictoriaMetrics
Simple, reliable, and efficient monitoring for everyone, built by engineers for engineers.
VictoriaMetrics offers a highly generous pricing model with its comprehensive free open-source tier, providing powerful monitoring, logging, and tracing capabilities at no cost.
Strengths
- Pro: Significantly reduces compute and storage costs compared to alternatives.
- Pro: Exceptional data compression allows for storing more data for longer periods.
- Pro: High performance for data ingestion and querying, even with massive datasets.
- Pro: Easy to set up and operate, with a single binary and no extra dependencies.
- Pro: Open-source core with strong community support and enterprise options for advanced needs.
Weaknesses
- Con: Specific cons are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text, but as with any complex system, there could be a learning curve for advanced features or self-hosting.
Key features
Plans and prices: Grafana vs VictoriaMetrics
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Grafana |
| grafana.com/pricing read Nov 1, 2026 |
| VictoriaMetrics |
| victoriametrics.com read Oct 3, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Grafana pricing and VictoriaMetrics pricing.
Key Takeaways
Grafana
- Choose if you want observability and visualization platform
VictoriaMetrics
- Choose if you want simple, reliable, and efficient monitoring for everyone, built by engineers for engineers
What the data shows
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
- Only Grafana has a published user rating (4.5/5 from 275 reviews); VictoriaMetrics has none we can show.
- Grafana starts at $19/mo, billed monthly; VictoriaMetrics has no public paid plan price on file.
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Grafana and VictoriaMetrics compare in 2026?
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. Only Grafana has a published user rating (4.5/5 from 275 reviews); VictoriaMetrics has none we can show. Grafana starts at $19/mo, billed monthly; VictoriaMetrics has no public paid plan price on file. Both have a free plan.
What are Grafana and VictoriaMetrics used for?
Grafana: Observability and visualization platform. VictoriaMetrics: Simple, reliable, and efficient monitoring for everyone, built by engineers for engineers.
What does Grafana cost vs VictoriaMetrics?
Grafana's cheapest paid plan is Pro at $19/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. VictoriaMetrics has no public paid-plan price on file. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Nov 1, 2026.
What's the main difference between Grafana and VictoriaMetrics?
Grafana's main strength: powerful dashboards. VictoriaMetrics's main strength: significantly reduces compute and storage costs compared to alternatives.