Prometheus vs Uptrace: 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 Prometheus and Uptrace 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:
Prometheus
Monitoring and alerting toolkit
Best for you if:
- • You want a fully free tool (Uptrace requires payment)
Uptrace
Open-source APM with distributed tracing
Best for you if:
- • You want APM platform
| At a Glance | ||
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free 100% free | Free plan |
Category | DevOps Monitoring | Monitoring DevOps |
Rating | 4.5/5 G2 4.5 61 reviews | n/a |
Free plan | Yes | No |
Watch out for | Storage costs grow linearly with metric cardinality and retention period | n/a |
Choose Prometheus or Uptrace?
Choose Prometheus if
- You want a fully free tool (Uptrace requires payment)
- You want industry standard
- You want great for metrics
- You work in DevOps, not monitoring
Choose Uptrace if
- You want APM platform
- You want OpenTelemetry native
- You work in monitoring, not DevOps
In-Depth Analysis
Prometheus
Monitoring and alerting toolkit
Prometheus is 100% free and open source (Apache 2.0).
Watch out
Storage costs grow linearly with metric cardinality and retention period
Strengths
- Pro: Industry standard
- Pro: Great for metrics
- Pro: Open source
Weaknesses
- Con: Long-term storage
- Con: Learning curve
Key features
Uptrace
Open-source APM with distributed tracing
Uptrace offers a highly generous pricing model, with a robust free self-hosted option that includes unlimited data for traces, metrics, and logs.
Strengths
- Pro: APM platform
- Pro: OpenTelemetry native
- Pro: Fair pricing
- Pro: Active development
- Pro: Good features
Weaknesses
- Con: Newer platform
- Con: Learning curve
- Con: Feature gaps
- Con: Documentation improving
- Con: Smaller community
Key features
Plans and prices: Prometheus vs Uptrace
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Prometheus |
| prometheus.io read Oct 2, 2026 |
| Uptrace |
| uptrace.dev/pricing read Oct 21, 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 Prometheus pricing and Uptrace pricing.
Key Takeaways
Prometheus
- Choose if you want monitoring and alerting toolkit
Uptrace
- Choose if you want open-source APM with distributed tracing
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 Prometheus has a published user rating (4.5/5 from 61 reviews); Uptrace has none we can show.
- 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 Prometheus and Uptrace 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 Prometheus has a published user rating (4.5/5 from 61 reviews); Uptrace has none we can show. Both have a free plan.
What are Prometheus and Uptrace used for?
Prometheus: Monitoring and alerting toolkit. Uptrace: Open-source APM with distributed tracing.
What does Prometheus cost vs Uptrace?
Prometheus is free. Uptrace has no public paid-plan price on file. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 21, 2026.
What's the main difference between Prometheus and Uptrace?
Prometheus's main strength: industry standard. Uptrace's main strength: APM platform.