Software · head to head
Elastic APM vs Raygun
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Elastic APM pricing is not published on the product page; cost follows the underlying Elastic deployment rather than being quoted per host or per service; Raygun crash Reporting error data is retained for 180 days and Real User Monitoring sessions for only 60 days; longer retention is Enterprise only
- They diverge on capability: Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Raygun covers Crash reporting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Elastic APM and Raygun actually diverge.
| Attribute | Elastic APM | Raygun |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | usage-based |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2011).
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 Elastic APM
- Performance monitoring
- Error tracking
- Transaction tracing
- Custom metrics
Only in Raygun
- Crash reporting
- Real user monitoring
- Performance tracking
- Source maps
Both cover
- API
- Webhooks
- REST
- Web support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Elastic APM
- Distributed tracing across microservicesnot Raygun
- Auto-instrumenting Java, .NET, Python, Go, Node.js, Ruby, PHP and C++ servicesnot Raygun
- OpenTelemetry-native collection through the Elastic distributionsnot Raygun
- Correlating latency and errors with machine learningnot Raygun
- Monitoring LLM calls alongside application tracesnot Raygun
Raygun
- Crash and error reporting for web, mobile and backend applicationsnot Elastic APM
- Real user monitoring of front end page load and session performancenot Elastic APM
- Application performance monitoring with request level tracesnot Elastic APM
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Elastic APM
- Pricing is not published on the product page; cost follows the underlying Elastic deployment rather than being quoted per host or per service
- Self-managed deployment means running and scaling Elasticsearch yourself
- Serverless does not carry every capability the hosted option does
Raygun
- Crash Reporting error data is retained for 180 days and Real User Monitoring sessions for only 60 days; longer retention is Enterprise only
- Crash Reporting, Real User Monitoring and APM are billed as three separate products, each metered on its own unit of errors, sessions or traces
- A Real User Monitoring session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity, so a single visit spanning breaks is billed as several sessions
- Usage beyond the plan allowance is billed on demand at $0.001 per error and $0.002 per session or trace
- Enterprise plan pricing is custom with no published rate
Pricing, plan by plan
Elastic APM
Free- FreeFree
- Performance monitoring
- Error tracking
- Transaction tracing
Raygun
Free- FreeFree
- Crash reporting
- Real user monitoring
- Performance tracking
Which should you pick?
Choose Elastic APM if
- You need performance monitoring.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want error tracking.
Choose Raygun if
- You need crash reporting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want real user monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Elastic APM or Raygun better?
- Neither clearly leads. Elastic APM starts at Free and Raygun at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Elastic APM or Raygun?
- Elastic APM starts at Free and Raygun at Free.
- Does Elastic APM or Raygun run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Elastic APM for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Elastic APM best used for?
- Elastic APM is most often used for distributed tracing across microservices, auto-instrumenting java, .net, python, go, node.js, ruby, php and c++ services, opentelemetry-native collection through the elastic distributions, correlating latency and errors with machine learning. Of those, distributed tracing across microservices and auto-instrumenting java, .net, python, go, node.js, ruby, php and c++ services are not what Raygun is typically brought in for.
- What can Elastic APM do that Raygun cannot?
- Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Error tracking, Transaction tracing, Custom metrics. Raygun covers Crash reporting, Real user monitoring, Performance tracking, Source maps. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
Related pages
More on Elastic APM
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