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Cloud · head to head

Encore vs Grafana Cloud

Encore logo

Encore

Cloud

Automated infrastructure for humans and agents

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grafana Cloud logo

Grafana Cloud

Cloud

Composable observability platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Encore limited language support (TypeScript and Go only); Grafana Cloud active Series (AS) billing model is difficult to predict and control; misconfiguration can cause sudden spikes and unexpected bills
  • They diverge on capability: Encore covers Local development environment, Grafana Cloud covers Grafana Dashboards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Encore and Grafana Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Encore and Grafana Cloud differ
AttributeEncoreGrafana Cloud
PlatformsWeb, CLIWeb (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), API
FoundedUnknown2014

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

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 Encore

  • Local development environment
  • Preview environments
  • Infrastructure automation
  • Self-service operations
  • Distributed tracing

Only in Grafana Cloud

  • Grafana Dashboards
  • Prometheus Metrics
  • Loki Logs
  • Tempo Traces
  • Alerting
  • OnCall
  • Synthetic Monitoring
  • Incident Management

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Encore

  • Building microservices with database provisioningnot Grafana Cloud
  • Creating feature branch preview environmentsnot Grafana Cloud
  • Deploying TypeScript and Go backends to AWS/GCPnot Grafana Cloud

Grafana Cloud

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Encore
  • Application monitoringnot Encore
  • Log aggregationnot Encore
  • Distributed tracingnot Encore

Where each one falls short

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

Encore

  • Limited language support (TypeScript and Go only)
  • Pro tier requires per-member subscription pricing
  • Additional resource costs beyond subscription for AWS/GCP provisioning

Grafana Cloud

  • Active Series (AS) billing model is difficult to predict and control; misconfiguration can cause sudden spikes and unexpected bills
  • Reduced control and customization compared to self-hosted Grafana instances
  • Data sovereignty concerns for organizations requiring on-premises data retention
  • Limited reporting types compared to traditional BI tools for compliance and audit requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Encore

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 2 free dev environments
    • 1M distributed tracing events/month
    • 7-day log retention
  • Pro$49/month
    • Unlimited free dev environments
    • 20M tracing events/month
    • 30-day log retention
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Enterprise security and compliance
    • SSO/SAML
    • Custom RBAC

Grafana Cloud

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10k active series (metrics)
    • 50GB logs/traces per month
    • 3 active users
  • Pro$19/month
    • Usage-based pricing beyond free tier
    • 8 USD per active visualization user
    • Included Grafana Alerting
  • Enterprise$25000/year
    • Minimum annual commitment
    • Full-service deployment options
    • Premium support

Which should you pick?

Choose Encore if

  • You need local development environment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want preview environments.
Encore review

Choose Grafana Cloud if

  • You need grafana dashboards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), API.
  • You also want prometheus metrics.
Grafana Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Encore or Grafana Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Encore starts at Free and Grafana Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Encore or Grafana Cloud?
Encore starts at Free and Grafana Cloud at Free.
Does Encore or Grafana Cloud run on more platforms?
Encore runs on Web, CLI. Grafana Cloud runs on Web (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), API.
Can I use Encore for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Encore best used for?
Encore is most often used for building microservices with database provisioning, creating feature branch preview environments, deploying typescript and go backends to aws/gcp. Of those, building microservices with database provisioning and creating feature branch preview environments are not what Grafana Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Encore do that Grafana Cloud cannot?
Encore covers Local development environment, Preview environments, Infrastructure automation, Self-service operations. Grafana Cloud covers Grafana Dashboards, Prometheus Metrics, Loki Logs, Tempo Traces. Both handle Cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Encore: What happens after the free tier?

The Pro plan costs $49/member/month plus usage charges of $2.50 per resource and $99 per AWS/GCP environment.

Source
Grafana Cloud: What are the exact limits of Grafana Cloud's free tier?

Grafana Cloud free tier includes 10,000 active series for metrics, 50GB logs and traces per month, 3 active visualization users, and 14-day retention with community support. No credit card required.

Source
Encore: Do I own my infrastructure?

Yes, Encore deploys infrastructure in your own AWS or GCP cloud account, so you maintain complete control and avoid vendor lock-in.

Source
Grafana Cloud: How is Grafana Cloud billed, and what are the per-unit costs?

Grafana Cloud Pro tier starts at $19/month platform fee plus usage-based charges. Metrics cost $6.50 per 1,000 active series above free limits, logs and traces are charged per GB ingested, and visualization users are $8 per active user.

Source
Grafana Cloud: Can I use Grafana Cloud for open-source Grafana deployments?

Grafana Cloud is the managed cloud service version. Open-source Grafana is free and can be self-hosted indefinitely on your own infrastructure.

Source
Grafana Cloud: What observability signals does Grafana Cloud include?

Grafana Cloud includes metrics (via Mimir), logs (via Loki), traces (via Tempo), profiles, and synthetics, with unified querying and visualization across all signals.

Source
Grafana Cloud: Does Grafana Cloud include alerting and how is it priced?

Yes, Grafana Alerting is included at no additional charge across all tiers. Rule storage, evaluation, and notification delivery are covered by the platform fee with no per-alert or per-notification fees.

Source
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