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Logging · head to head

Airbrake vs Bugsnag

Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Logging

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bugsnag logo

Bugsnag

Logging

Application Stability Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier; Bugsnag owned by SmartBear rather than being independent
  • They diverge on capability: Airbrake covers Performance monitoring, Bugsnag covers Crash reporting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbrake and Bugsnag actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbrake and Bugsnag differ
AttributeAirbrakeBugsnag
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Founded20082012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbrake

  • Performance monitoring
  • Deploy tracking
  • Custom notifications

Only in Bugsnag

  • Crash reporting
  • Release tracking
  • Trend analysis

Both cover

  • Error tracking
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbrake

  • Error and exception monitoring for web applicationsnot Bugsnag
  • Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot Bugsnag
  • Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot Bugsnag
  • Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot Bugsnag

Bugsnag

  • Crash and error reporting for mobile and web applicationsnot Airbrake
  • Stability scores per releasenot Airbrake
  • Grouping errors by root cause across deploysnot Airbrake
  • Alerting when a release regressesnot Airbrake

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbrake

  • Data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
  • The entry plan at $19 a month covers 25,000 errors and 7,500 events
  • Errors beyond the plan quota are billed on demand
  • Audit logs and spike forgiveness require the Pro tier
  • The lowest tier is limited to 1 user and 1 team

Bugsnag

  • Owned by SmartBear rather than being independent
  • The free tier covers 7,500 events a month
  • Paid tiers are usage-priced by event volume rather than by seat, so a noisy release raises the bill
  • Enterprise pricing is quote-only

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbrake

Free
  • Tier 1 (Dev + errors)$19/month
    • 25,000 errors per month
    • 1 user
    • 1 team
  • Tier 2 (Basic + errors)$38/month
    • 100,000 errors per month
    • Unlimited users
    • 3 teams
  • Pro$76/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited teams
    • Unlimited projects
  • Tier 5 (Growth)$299/month
    • 1 million errors per month

Bugsnag

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user
    • Error and performance monitoring
    • 7500 events monthly
  • SelectFree
    • 50000-3 million error monitoring events monthly tiered
    • 1-150 million performance monitoring spans
    • Unlimited users
  • PreferredFree
    • 100000-3 million error monitoring events tiered
    • 1-300 million performance monitoring spans
    • Automatic error prioritization
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Custom pricing
    • All Preferred features plus
    • Automatic error assignment

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbrake if

  • You need performance monitoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want deploy tracking.
Airbrake review

Choose Bugsnag if

  • You need crash reporting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want release tracking.
Bugsnag review

Questions people ask

Is Airbrake or Bugsnag better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and Bugsnag at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbrake or Bugsnag?
Airbrake starts at Free and Bugsnag at Free.
Does Airbrake or Bugsnag run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Airbrake for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Airbrake best used for?
Airbrake is most often used for error and exception monitoring for web applications, performance monitoring alongside error tracking, alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errors, tracking errors across multiple projects in one account. Of those, error and exception monitoring for web applications and performance monitoring alongside error tracking are not what Bugsnag is typically brought in for.
What can Airbrake do that Bugsnag cannot?
Airbrake covers Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. Bugsnag covers Crash reporting, Release tracking, Trend analysis. Both handle Error tracking, API, Webhooks, REST.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Airbrake: What is the lowest-cost Airbrake plan and what does it include?

Tier 1 costs $19 per month and includes 25,000 errors per month, 1 user seat, 1 team, and unlimited projects. This plan targets individual developers. A 10% discount applies when paying annually ($17.10 per month).

Source
Bugsnag: Is BugSnag free?

BugSnag Free plan is free and includes 1 user, error and performance monitoring with 7500 events and 1 million spans monthly, 50+ platforms, 30+ integrations, and 7-day data retention for solo developers and passion projects.

Source
Airbrake: Which Airbrake plan is marked as the best value?

The Pro plan at $76 per month is marked as Best Value. It includes unlimited users, unlimited teams, unlimited projects, audit logs, and spike forgiveness. Annual billing provides a 10% discount ($68 per month).

Source
Bugsnag: What are the event and span limits by BugSnag plan?

Free plan: 7500 error events and 1 million spans monthly. Select plan: 50000-3 million error events and 1-150 million spans tiered. Preferred plan: 100000-3 million error events and 1-300 million spans tiered. Enterprise plan: custom limits with pricing on request.

Source
Airbrake: How many errors per month does each Airbrake tier allow?

Tier 1 allows 25,000 errors per month at $19/month. Tier 2 allows 100,000 errors at $38/month. Tier 4 allows 300,000 errors at $129/month. Tier 5 allows 1 million errors at $299/month. Tier 6 allows 5 million errors at $799/month.

Source
Bugsnag: How long does BugSnag retain error data?

BugSnag Free plan retains data for 7 days. Select and Preferred paid plans retain error data for 60 days. Enterprise plans offer custom data retention periods negotiated with sales.

Source
Bugsnag: What features does BugSnag Preferred plan add?

BugSnag Preferred plan (pricing tiered by volume, not published) adds automatic error prioritization, stability benchmarks, advanced segmentation, custom notifications, SAML SSO, and system metrics monitoring compared to Select plan.

Source
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