Softwr

Network & Connectivity · head to head

Grafana vs Render

Grafana logo

Grafana

Network & Connectivity

Observability and Data Visualization

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Render logo

Render

Cloud & Infrastructure

A modern cloud platform for the next generation

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; Render the free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
  • They diverge on capability: Grafana covers Dashboard creation, Render covers Web services.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Grafana and Render actually diverge.

Attributes where Grafana and Render differ
AttributeGrafanaRender
Pricing modelopen-sourceusage-based
CategoryNetwork & ConnectivityCloud & Infrastructure
Founded20142019

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

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
  • Api support

Only in Render

  • Web services
  • Static sites
  • Background workers
  • Postgres database
  • Redis database
  • Scheduled jobs
  • Environment variables
  • Custom domains

Both cover

  • Web support

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 Render
  • Running observability across infrastructure and applicationsnot Render

Render

  • Deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a Git repository without managing serversnot Grafana
  • Running managed Postgres and Redis alongside application servicesnot Grafana
  • Preview environments per pull request for small teamsnot 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

Render

  • The free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
  • Every paid plan charges the workspace fee plus compute on top, so $25 per month for Pro is a floor rather than a total
  • SAML SSO and SCIM require the Scale plan at $499 per month
  • HIPAA-compliant workspaces, inbound IP rules and advanced RBAC roles are Scale plan features
  • Organization-level audit logs require Scale; Pro provides only workspace audit logs
  • Contractual uptime SLAs, support response SLAs and a technical account manager are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is custom priced with no published rate
  • Included bandwidth is 25 GB on Pro and 1 TB on Scale, with usage beyond that billed separately

Pricing, plan by plan

Grafana

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

Render

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 web service
    • 1 static site
    • Shared CPU
  • Starter$7/month
    • Unlimited services
    • Dedicated CPU
    • 2GB RAM

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 Render if

  • You need web services.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want static sites.
Render review

Questions people ask

Is Grafana or Render better?
Neither clearly leads. Grafana starts at Free and Render at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Grafana or Render?
Grafana starts at Free and Render at Free.
Does Grafana or Render run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Render is typically brought in for.
What can Grafana do that Render cannot?
Grafana covers Dashboard creation, Alerting, Data source integration, Visualization plugins. Render covers Web services, Static sites, Background workers, Postgres database. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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