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Software · head to head

Dynatrace vs Sentry

Dynatrace logo

Dynatrace

Software

Application Performance Management and Observability

From
Free
Rated
-
Sentry logo

Sentry

Software

Application monitoring platform built by developers for developers

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dynatrace pricing is commitment based: rates require an annual platform level commitment rather than month to month purchase; Sentry spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments
  • They diverge on capability: Dynatrace covers AI-powered analytics, Sentry covers Error tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dynatrace and Sentry actually diverge.

Attributes where Dynatrace and Sentry differ
AttributeDynatraceSentry
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages
Founded20052011

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 Dynatrace

  • AI-powered analytics
  • APM
  • Infrastructure monitoring
  • Log analysis
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Sentry

  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring
  • Release tracking
  • Real user monitoring
  • Alerting
  • Issue assignment
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Source maps

What people use each for

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

Dynatrace

  • Full stack application performance monitoring with automatic dependency discoverynot Sentry
  • Kubernetes and container platform observability priced per podnot Sentry
  • Log ingest, processing and query analyticsnot Sentry
  • Real user monitoring and session replay for web applicationsnot Sentry

Sentry

  • Error monitoringnot Dynatrace
  • Performance trackingnot Dynatrace
  • Debug production issuesnot Dynatrace
  • Release managementnot Dynatrace
  • User monitoringnot Dynatrace

Where each one falls short

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

Dynatrace

  • Pricing is commitment based: rates require an annual platform level commitment rather than month to month purchase
  • Full-Stack Monitoring is priced at $58 per month per 8 GiB of host memory, so a 64 GiB host counts as eight units
  • Infrastructure Monitoring at $29 per host per month excludes code level tracing, which requires Full-Stack
  • Session Replay doubles Real User Monitoring cost from $2.25 to $4.50 per 1,000 sessions
  • Runtime Vulnerability Analytics and Runtime Application Protection are each charged separately at $13 per month per 8 GiB host on top of monitoring

Sentry

  • Spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments
  • Complex configuration required for filters, sampling rules, issue grouping, and alert policies
  • Difficult to configure custom alerts and alert content without creating email inbox bloat
  • Error grouping is imperfect with noise and filtering issues causing incorrect error prioritization
  • Weak for distributed tracing across microservices compared to dedicated APM tools
  • UI dashboard is less customizable than alternatives like Datadog APM for complex monitoring needs

Pricing, plan by plan

Dynatrace

Free
  • FreeFree
    • AI-powered analytics
    • APM
    • Infrastructure monitoring

Sentry

Free
  • Developer (Free)Free
    • 5K errors per month
    • 1 user seat
    • 30-day data retention
  • Team$26/month
    • 50K errors per month
    • 5M transaction spans
    • 90-day data retention
  • Business$80/month
    • Higher quotas
    • Extended retention
    • Advanced filtering
  • Organization$199/month
    • SSO integration
    • Audit logs
    • Advanced security

Which should you pick?

Choose Dynatrace if

  • You need ai-powered analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want apm.

Choose Sentry if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
  • You also want performance monitoring.

Questions people ask

Is Dynatrace or Sentry better?
Neither clearly leads. Dynatrace starts at Free and Sentry at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dynatrace or Sentry?
Dynatrace starts at Free and Sentry at Free.
Does Dynatrace or Sentry run on more platforms?
Dynatrace runs on Web, Api. Sentry runs on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
Can I use Dynatrace for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Dynatrace best used for?
Dynatrace is most often used for full stack application performance monitoring with automatic dependency discovery, kubernetes and container platform observability priced per pod, log ingest, processing and query analytics, real user monitoring and session replay for web applications. Of those, full stack application performance monitoring with automatic dependency discovery and kubernetes and container platform observability priced per pod are not what Sentry is typically brought in for.
What can Dynatrace do that Sentry cannot?
Dynatrace covers AI-powered analytics, APM, Infrastructure monitoring, Log analysis. Sentry covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Release tracking, Real user monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sentry: Does Sentry have a free tier?

Yes. The free Developer tier includes 5,000 errors per month, one user seat, 30-day retention, and 50 session replays per month.

Source
Sentry: How much do Sentry's paid plans cost?

Team plan starts at $26/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) with 50K errors and 5M spans included. Business plan is $80-89/month. Organization plans start at $199/month with SSO and advanced compliance features.

Source
Sentry: What programming languages does Sentry support?

Sentry supports over 30 languages and frameworks including JavaScript, Python, Go, Ruby, Java, .NET, PHP, Node.js, and mobile platforms including iOS, Android, and React Native.

Source
Sentry: Does Sentry support self-hosting?

Yes. Sentry can be self-hosted, and the open-source version is available for deployment in on-premises environments.

Source
Sentry: How does Sentry billing work if I exceed my quota?

Sentry offers spending caps that stop ingestion when reached, meaning you lose visibility exactly when you need it most. You can pre-purchase reserved capacity at 20% discount or pay per event on-demand when exceeding included allotment.

Source
Sentry: What integrations does Sentry support?

Sentry integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, PagerDuty, most CI/CD pipelines, and many other developer tools.

Source

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