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Logging · head to head

Bugsnag vs Rootly

Bugsnag logo

Bugsnag

Logging

Application Stability Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rootly logo

Rootly

Logging

AI-native incident management with automation, on-call, and root cause analysis

From
$20/user-month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bugsnag has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bugsnag owned by SmartBear rather than being independent; Rootly pricing higher than some competitors for basic features
  • They diverge on capability: Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Rootly covers AI SRE automation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bugsnag and Rootly actually diverge.

Attributes where Bugsnag and Rootly differ
AttributeBugsnagRootly
Starting priceFree$20/user-month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams
Founded20122020

Identical on both: 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 Bugsnag

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

Only in Rootly

  • AI SRE automation
  • Alert routing
  • On-call management
  • Incident response
  • Call routing
  • AI meeting bot
  • Status pages

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 Rootly
  • Stability scores per releasenot Rootly
  • Grouping errors by root cause across deploysnot Rootly
  • Alerting when a release regressesnot Rootly

Rootly

  • Automate on-call and incident response workflowsnot Bugsnag
  • Run root cause analysis with AI assistancenot Bugsnag
  • Track and improve Mean Time to Mitigation (MTTR)not Bugsnag
  • Coordinate response across distributed teamsnot Bugsnag
  • Learn from post-incident retrospectivesnot 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

Rootly

  • Pricing higher than some competitors for basic features
  • AI SRE features require separate contact-sales engagement
  • Learning curve for advanced automation features
  • Per-user pricing increases costs as team grows

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Rootly

$20/user-month
  • Incident Response Essentials$20/user-month
    • Response with Slack integration
    • @Rootly AI Chat
    • AI Similar Incidents detection
  • Incident Response Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Essentials features
    • Custom forms and incident types
    • Private incidents
  • On-Call Essentials$20/user-month
    • Alert grouping and routing
    • Live call routing (1 phone number)
    • Schedules and escalation policies
  • On-Call Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Essentials features
    • 5 phone numbers for call routing
    • Unlimited schedules

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 Rootly if

  • You need ai sre automation.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
  • You also want alert routing.
Rootly review

Questions people ask

Is Bugsnag or Rootly better?
Neither clearly leads. Bugsnag starts at Free and Rootly at $20/user-month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bugsnag or Rootly?
Bugsnag has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bugsnag and $20/user-month for Rootly.
Does Bugsnag or Rootly run on more platforms?
Bugsnag runs on Web, Api. Rootly runs on Web, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
Can I use Bugsnag for free?
Yes. Bugsnag has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rootly starts at $20/user-month.
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 Rootly is typically brought in for.
What can Bugsnag do that Rootly cannot?
Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Crash reporting, Release tracking, Trend analysis. Rootly covers AI SRE automation, Alert routing, On-call management, Incident response.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Rootly: How much does Rootly cost?

Rootly charges $20/user/month for both Incident Response and On-Call Essentials plans. Enterprise plans require contacting sales. Startups under 100 employees with less than $50M raised get up to 50% discount.

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
Rootly: What is Rootly AI SRE?

AI SRE is an advanced feature that provides automated root cause analysis, alert correlation with system changes, impact analysis, and remediation suggestions. Pricing requires contact with sales.

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
Rootly: Does Rootly integrate with Slack?

Yes, Rootly natively integrates with Slack for incident response workflows, allowing teams to manage incidents directly in Slack.

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
Rootly: Are there discounts for small companies?

Yes, startups under 100 employees or less than 25 employees can get special pricing up to 50% discount. Contact Rootly sales for details.

Source
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