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Log Management · head to head

Elastic APM vs Sentry

Elastic APM logo

Elastic APM

Log Management

Application Performance Monitoring from Elastic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sentry logo

Sentry

Technology

Application monitoring platform built by developers for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Sentry spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic APM covers Transaction tracing, Sentry covers Release tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elastic APM and Sentry actually diverge.

Attributes where Elastic APM and Sentry differ
AttributeElastic APMSentry
Pricing modelopen-sourceUnknown
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages
CategoryLog ManagementTechnology

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

  • Transaction tracing
  • Custom metrics
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

Only in Sentry

  • Release tracking
  • Real user monitoring
  • Alerting
  • Issue assignment
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Source maps
  • GitHub
  • GitLab

Both cover

  • Performance monitoring
  • Error tracking

What people use each for

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

Elastic APM

  • Distributed tracing across microservicesnot Sentry
  • Auto-instrumenting Java, .NET, Python, Go, Node.js, Ruby, PHP and C++ servicesnot Sentry
  • OpenTelemetry-native collection through the Elastic distributionsnot Sentry
  • Correlating latency and errors with machine learningnot Sentry
  • Monitoring LLM calls alongside application tracesnot Sentry

Sentry

  • Error monitoringnot Elastic APM
  • Performance trackingnot Elastic APM
  • Debug production issuesnot Elastic APM
  • Release managementnot Elastic APM
  • User monitoringnot 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

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

Elastic APM

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Performance monitoring
    • Error tracking
    • Transaction tracing

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 Elastic APM if

  • You need transaction tracing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want custom metrics.
Elastic APM review

Choose Sentry if

  • You need release tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
  • You also want real user monitoring.
Sentry review

Questions people ask

Is Elastic APM or Sentry better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic APM 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, Elastic APM or Sentry?
Elastic APM starts at Free and Sentry at Free.
Does Elastic APM or Sentry run on more platforms?
Elastic APM runs on Web, Api. Sentry runs on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
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 Sentry is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic APM do that Sentry cannot?
Elastic APM covers Transaction tracing, Custom metrics, API, Webhooks. Sentry covers Release tracking, Real user monitoring, Alerting, Issue assignment. Both handle Performance monitoring, Error tracking.

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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