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Software · head to head

Bugsnag vs Prometheus

Bugsnag logo

Bugsnag

Software

Application Stability Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Software

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bugsnag owned by SmartBear rather than being independent; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bugsnag and Prometheus actually diverge.

Attributes where Bugsnag and Prometheus differ
AttributeBugsnagPrometheus
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsWeb, ApiLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded20122015

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

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 Bugsnag

  • Error tracking
  • Crash reporting
  • Release tracking
  • Trend analysis
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Prometheus

  • Multi-dimensional Data Model
  • PromQL Query Language
  • Pull-based Collection
  • Service Discovery
  • Alerting Rules
  • Federation
  • Local Storage
  • Grafana

What people use each for

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

Bugsnag

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

Prometheus

  • Cloud-native monitoring and alertingnot Bugsnag
  • Time-series metrics collectionnot Bugsnag
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Bugsnag

Where each one falls short

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

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

Prometheus

  • Not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • Hard limit on scrape body size; large responses cause scrape failure
  • Per-scrape sample limit enforced; exceeding limit marks targets as failed
  • Not designed for long-term durable storage; optimised for metrics collection

Pricing, plan by plan

Bugsnag

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Error tracking
    • Crash reporting
    • Release tracking

Prometheus

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prometheus review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Bugsnag if

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

Choose Prometheus if

  • You need multi-dimensional data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want promql query language.
Prometheus review

Questions people ask

Is Bugsnag or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. Bugsnag starts at Free and Prometheus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bugsnag or Prometheus?
Bugsnag starts at Free and Prometheus at Free.
Does Bugsnag or Prometheus run on more platforms?
Bugsnag runs on Web, Api. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Bugsnag for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bugsnag best used for?
Bugsnag is most often used for crash and error reporting for mobile and web applications, stability scores per release, grouping errors by root cause across deploys, alerting when a release regresses. Of those, crash and error reporting for mobile and web applications and stability scores per release are not what Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can Bugsnag do that Prometheus cannot?
Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Crash reporting, Release tracking, Trend analysis. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery.
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