Softwr

Logging · head to head

Airbrake vs incident.io

Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Logging

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
incident.io logo

incident.io

Logging

Software reliability platform with on-call management and agentic root cause analysis

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier; incident.io free plan limited to single team and basic features
  • They diverge on capability: Airbrake covers Error tracking, incident.io covers Intelligent alert routing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbrake and incident.io actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbrake and incident.io differ
AttributeAirbrakeincident.io
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Slack, Microsoft Teams
Founded20082021

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), 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

  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring
  • Deploy tracking
  • Custom notifications
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in incident.io

  • Intelligent alert routing
  • Agentic root cause analysis
  • On-call scheduling
  • Slack and Teams integration
  • AI call transcription
  • Status pages
  • Workflow automation

What people use each for

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

Airbrake

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

incident.io

  • Manage incident response workflows in Slacknot Airbrake
  • Automatically investigate root causes with AInot Airbrake
  • Maintain on-call schedules across teamsnot Airbrake
  • Track incident metrics and trendsnot Airbrake
  • Communicate status to customers automaticallynot 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

incident.io

  • Free plan limited to single team and basic features
  • Per-user pricing increases costs for larger teams
  • Agentic features may require additional integrations
  • Advanced features concentrated in higher price tiers

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

incident.io

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Slack and Teams support
    • Single team on-call
    • Status pages
  • Pro$25/user-month
    • All Team features
    • Advanced insights
    • Custom dashboards
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Pro features
    • Dedicated success manager
    • Advanced access controls

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbrake if

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

Choose incident.io if

  • You need intelligent alert routing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
  • You also want agentic root cause analysis.

Questions people ask

Is Airbrake or incident.io better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and incident.io at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbrake or incident.io?
Airbrake starts at Free and incident.io at Free.
Does Airbrake or incident.io run on more platforms?
Airbrake runs on Web, Api. incident.io runs on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
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 incident.io is typically brought in for.
What can Airbrake do that incident.io cannot?
Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. incident.io covers Intelligent alert routing, Agentic root cause analysis, On-call scheduling, Slack and Teams integration.

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
incident.io: What is included in the free incident.io plan?

The Basic free plan includes Slack and Teams support, single team on-call, status pages, and 1 custom field, ideal for getting started with incident management.

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
incident.io: How much does on-call management cost?

On-call is an add-on costing $10/user/month for Team plan or $20/user/month for Pro plan, in addition to base incident management pricing.

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
incident.io: Can incident.io integrate with my existing tools?

incident.io natively integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams for incident management workflows, with additional integrations available.

Source
incident.io: What SLA does incident.io offer?

Only the Enterprise plan includes a 99.99% SLA guarantee. Basic, Team, and Pro plans do not have published SLAs.

Source
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