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Jaeger vs RAD Studio

Jaeger logo

Jaeger

Cloud

Open-source end-to-end distributed tracing

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
RAD Studio logo

RAD Studio

Developer Tools

Cross-platform native app development with Delphi and C++Builder

From
$2000/perpetual
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Jaeger has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Jaeger tracing is only as good as the instrumentation, and partial instrumentation produces misleading gaps; RAD Studio professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Jaeger and RAD Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Jaeger and RAD Studio differ
AttributeJaegerRAD Studio
Starting priceFree$2000/perpetual
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Kubernetes, DockerWeb
CategoryCloudDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: 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 Jaeger

  • Distributed trace search
  • Dependency graph
  • Adaptive sampling
  • Pluggable storage

Only in RAD Studio

Nothing recorded that Jaeger does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Jaeger

  • Finding which service in a request path causes the latencynot RAD Studio
  • Understanding real service dependencies rather than the diagram on the wikinot RAD Studio
  • Debugging failures that only appear under production traffic patternsnot RAD Studio

RAD Studio

  • Building Windows desktop applications with VCL componentsnot Jaeger
  • Creating iOS and Android apps from shared Delphi codebasenot Jaeger
  • Connecting to Oracle databases through FireDAC connectivitynot Jaeger
  • Building REST web services that run on Linux serversnot Jaeger

Where each one falls short

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

Jaeger

  • Tracing is only as good as the instrumentation, and partial instrumentation produces misleading gaps
  • Storage is the real operational cost: high-volume tracing on Elasticsearch or Cassandra is a cluster to run and pay for
  • Traces alone, without correlated metrics and logs, leave you switching between tools during an incident

RAD Studio

  • Professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax
  • Enterprise edition steps up to $3,400 license plus $1,199 maintenance, and Architect edition to $4,416 license plus $2,183 maintenance
  • The perpetual license only entitles the buyer to updates for one year; continued access to new updates and upgrades requires an annually renewable Update Subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

Jaeger

Free
  • JaegerFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

RAD Studio

$2000/perpetual
  • Professional Edition$2000/perpetual
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $599
    • Total $2,599 + Tax
  • Enterprise Edition$3400/perpetual
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $1,199
    • Total $4,599 + Tax
  • Architect Edition$4416/perpetual
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $2,183
    • Total $6,599 + Tax

Which should you pick?

Choose Jaeger if

  • You need distributed trace search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Kubernetes, Docker.
  • You also want dependency graph.
Jaeger review

Choose RAD Studio if

Nothing in the data separates RAD Studio from Jaeger on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

RAD Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Jaeger or RAD Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Jaeger starts at Free and RAD Studio at $2000/perpetual, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Jaeger or RAD Studio?
Jaeger has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Jaeger and $2000/perpetual for RAD Studio.
Does Jaeger or RAD Studio run on more platforms?
Jaeger runs on Linux, Kubernetes, Docker. RAD Studio runs on Web.
Can I use Jaeger for free?
Yes. Jaeger has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RAD Studio starts at $2000/perpetual.
What is Jaeger best used for?
Jaeger is most often used for finding which service in a request path causes the latency, understanding real service dependencies rather than the diagram on the wiki, debugging failures that only appear under production traffic patterns. Of those, finding which service in a request path causes the latency and understanding real service dependencies rather than the diagram on the wiki are not what RAD Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Jaeger do that RAD Studio cannot?
Jaeger covers Distributed trace search, Dependency graph, Adaptive sampling, Pluggable storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Jaeger: Is Jaeger free?

Yes, open source and CNCF-graduated. Costs are the storage backend you run.

RAD Studio: How much does RAD Studio cost?

RAD Studio uses perpetual licensing: Professional Edition $2,000 perpetual license + $599 first year maintenance ($2,599 total + tax). Enterprise Edition $3,400 license + $1,199 maintenance ($4,599 total + tax). Architect Edition $4,416 license + $2,183 maintenance ($6,599 total + tax).

Source
Jaeger: Do I use Jaeger or OpenTelemetry?

Both, usually. Instrument with OpenTelemetry and use Jaeger to store and query the traces.

RAD Studio: What is the difference between RAD Studio editions?

Professional Edition ($2,599 total + tax) targets individual developers. Enterprise Edition ($4,599 total + tax) adds multi-tier app capabilities. Architect Edition ($6,599 total + tax) includes advanced database and cloud features. All three include perpetual licenses.

Source
Jaeger: Does Jaeger handle metrics and logs?

No. It is a tracing system. Metrics and logs need Prometheus, Loki or an equivalent.

RAD Studio: Does RAD Studio offer Kai AI integration and discounts?

Yes, adding Kai AI to any edition provides discounts: 25% off Professional ($2,136 + tax), 30% off Enterprise ($3,394 + tax), and 40% off Architect ($4,109 + tax). This promotion is active through August 31, 2026.

Source
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