Lightstep vs New Relic: 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 Lightstep and New Relic 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:
Lightstep
Distributed tracing and observability
Best for you if:
- • You want good distributed tracing
New Relic
Full-stack observability with 50+ monitoring capabilities
Best for you if:
- • You want generous free tier
| At a Glance | New Relic | |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan | Free plan, paid from $10/mo Standard plan |
Category | DevOps Debugging | DevOps Analytics |
Rating | 4.3/5 G2 4.6 · Capterra 3.0 21 reviews | 4.4/5 G2 4.4 · Capterra 4.5 783 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Watch out for | n/a | Data ingest overages at $0.40/GB (Standard) |
Choose Lightstep or New Relic?
Choose Lightstep if
- You want good distributed tracing
- You want servicenow owned
Choose New Relic if
- You want generous free tier
- You want full-stack observability
In-Depth Analysis
Lightstep
Distributed tracing and observability
Lightstep's 'Custom' pricing for its Subscription tier, especially with its EOL in March 2026, makes it an expensive and uncertain choice.
Strengths
- Pro: Good distributed tracing
- Pro: Servicenow owned
- Pro: OpenTelemetry support
- Pro: Change intelligence
- Pro: Good UX
Weaknesses
- Con: Expensive
- Con: Enterprise focused
- Con: Integration effort
- Con: Less known
- Con: Competition from free tools
Key features
New Relic
Full-stack observability with 50+ monitoring capabilities
New Relic's freemium model is generous, offering 100 GB/month and a full platform user for free.
Watch out
Data ingest overages at $0.40/GB (Standard)
Strengths
- Pro: Generous free tier
- Pro: Full-stack observability
- Pro: AI insights
Weaknesses
- Con: Complex to set up
- Con: Data can be expensive
Key features
Plans and prices: Lightstep vs New Relic
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lightstep |
| lightstep.comread Oct 6, 2026 |
| New Relic |
| newrelic.com/pricingread Oct 13, 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 Lightstep pricing and New Relic pricing.
Key Takeaways
Lightstep
- Choose if you want distributed tracing and observability
New Relic
- Choose if you want full-stack observability with 50+ monitoring capabilities
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.
- User ratings are within 0.2 points (4.3/5 from 21 reviews for Lightstep, 4.4/5 from 783 reviews for New Relic).
- New Relic starts at $10/mo; Lightstep 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 Lightstep and New Relic 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. User ratings are within 0.2 points (4.3/5 from 21 reviews for Lightstep, 4.4/5 from 783 reviews for New Relic). New Relic starts at $10/mo; Lightstep has no public paid plan price on file. Both have a free plan.
What are Lightstep and New Relic used for?
Lightstep: Distributed tracing and observability. New Relic: Full-stack observability with 50+ monitoring capabilities.
What does Lightstep cost vs New Relic?
Lightstep has no public paid-plan price on file. New Relic's cheapest paid plan is Standard at $10/mo; it also has a free plan. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 13, 2026.
What's the main difference between Lightstep and New Relic?
Lightstep's main strength: good distributed tracing. New Relic's main strength: generous free tier.