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Software · head to head

Grafana vs Prometheus

Grafana logo

Grafana

Software

Observability and Data Visualization

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Software

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Grafana the free tier retains metrics, logs and traces for 14 days only; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: Grafana covers Dashboard creation, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Grafana and Prometheus actually diverge.

Attributes where Grafana and Prometheus differ
AttributeGrafanaPrometheus
PlatformsWeb, ApiLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded20142015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), 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 Grafana

  • Dashboard creation
  • Alerting
  • Data source integration
  • Visualization plugins
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Prometheus

  • Multi-dimensional Data Model
  • PromQL Query Language
  • Pull-based Collection
  • Service Discovery
  • Alerting Rules
  • Federation
  • Local Storage
  • Grafana

What people use each for

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

Grafana

  • Dashboards and visualisation over metrics, logs and tracesnot Prometheus
  • Running observability across infrastructure and applicationsnot Prometheus

Prometheus

  • Cloud-native monitoring and alertingnot Grafana
  • Time-series metrics collectionnot Grafana
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Grafana

Where each one falls short

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

Grafana

  • The free tier retains metrics, logs and traces for 14 days only
  • Free is capped at 10,000 active metric series and 50 GB each of logs and traces a month
  • The Pro plan carries a $19 a month platform fee before any usage charges
  • Logs and traces are billed on three separate meters, at $0.050 per GB processed, $0.400 per GB written and $0.100 per GB retained
  • Retaining data is an ongoing charge rather than a one off, so historical data costs every month it exists

Prometheus

  • Not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • Hard limit on scrape body size; large responses cause scrape failure
  • Per-scrape sample limit enforced; exceeding limit marks targets as failed
  • Not designed for long-term durable storage; optimised for metrics collection

Pricing, plan by plan

Grafana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Dashboard creation
    • Alerting
    • Data source integration

Prometheus

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prometheus review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Grafana if

  • You need dashboard creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want alerting.
Grafana review

Choose Prometheus if

  • You need multi-dimensional data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want promql query language.
Prometheus review

Questions people ask

Is Grafana or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. Grafana starts at Free and Prometheus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Grafana or Prometheus?
Grafana starts at Free and Prometheus at Free.
Does Grafana or Prometheus run on more platforms?
Grafana runs on Web, Api. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Grafana for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Grafana best used for?
Grafana is most often used for dashboards and visualisation over metrics, logs and traces, running observability across infrastructure and applications. Of those, dashboards and visualisation over metrics, logs and traces and running observability across infrastructure and applications are not what Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can Grafana do that Prometheus cannot?
Grafana covers Dashboard creation, Alerting, Data source integration, Visualization plugins. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery.
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