Logging · head to head
Airbrake vs Traceloop

Traceloop
Logging
LLM reliability platform with open-source observability and evaluation
- 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; Traceloop free tier limited to 50k spans per month and 24-hour retention, restricting production use
- They diverge on capability: Airbrake covers Error tracking, Traceloop covers Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry).
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Airbrake and Traceloop actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Traceloop
- Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry)
- Multi-provider support
- Observability platform integration
- Framework support
- Monitoring dashboard
- Evaluation system
- Deployment flexibility
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Airbrake
- Error and exception monitoring for web applicationsnot Traceloop
- Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot Traceloop
- Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot Traceloop
- Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot Traceloop
Traceloop
- Monitoring LLM application performance in productionnot Airbrake
- Instrumenting LLM apps with minimal code overheadnot Airbrake
- Continuous evaluation and quality scoring of LLM outputsnot Airbrake
- Debugging LLM application issues with full trace visibilitynot Airbrake
- Integrating observability data into existing monitoring stacksnot 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
Traceloop
- Free tier limited to 50k spans per month and 24-hour retention, restricting production use
- Company acquisition by ServiceNow creates uncertainty about future roadmap
- Requires integration with separate observability platforms for visualization
- Less feature-rich than dedicated LLM evaluation platforms
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)$299/month
- 1 million errors per month
Traceloop
Free- FreeFree
- 50,000 spans per month
- Up to 5 seats
- 24-hour data retention
- Enterprise$undefined/custom
- Unlimited spans per month
- Unlimited seats
- Custom data retention
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 Traceloop if
- You need open-source sdk (openllmetry).
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby.
- You also want multi-provider support.
Questions people ask
- Is Airbrake or Traceloop better?
- Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and Traceloop at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Airbrake or Traceloop?
- Airbrake starts at Free and Traceloop at Free.
- Does Airbrake or Traceloop run on more platforms?
- Airbrake runs on Web, Api. Traceloop runs on Cloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby.
- 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 Traceloop is typically brought in for.
- What can Airbrake do that Traceloop cannot?
- Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. Traceloop covers Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry), Multi-provider support, Observability platform integration, Framework support.
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).
SourceTraceloop: Is OpenLLMetry open-source?
Yes, OpenLLMetry is Traceloop's open-source SDK built on OpenTelemetry standards. It allows teams to instrument LLM applications with just 2 lines of code and send data to 25+ observability platforms.
SourceAirbrake: 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).
SourceTraceloop: What is the impact of ServiceNow acquisition?
Traceloop is joining ServiceNow, representing a strategic acquisition that will broaden enterprise adoption and integration capabilities. Current operations continue with free and enterprise options available.
SourceAirbrake: 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.
SourceTraceloop: How many LLM providers and frameworks does Traceloop support?
Traceloop supports 20+ LLM providers including OpenAI and Anthropic, and integrates with frameworks like LangChain and LlamaIndex. It can send data to 25+ observability platforms.
SourceRelated pages
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