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Kibana vs Traceloop

Kibana logo

Kibana

Logging

Visualize Your Elasticsearch Data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Traceloop logo

Traceloop

Logging

LLM reliability platform with open-source observability and evaluation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kibana requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool; Traceloop free tier limited to 50k spans per month and 24-hour retention, restricting production use
  • They diverge on capability: Kibana covers Data visualization, Traceloop covers Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry).
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kibana and Traceloop actually diverge.

Attributes where Kibana and Traceloop differ
AttributeKibanaTraceloop
Pricing modelopen-sourceFreemium with pay-as-you-go enterprise option
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby
Founded2011Unknown

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

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 Kibana

  • Data visualization
  • Dashboard creation
  • Log discovery
  • Alerting
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Traceloop

  • Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry)
  • Multi-provider support
  • Observability platform integration
  • Framework support
  • Monitoring dashboard
  • Evaluation system
  • Deployment flexibility

What people use each for

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

Kibana

  • Querying and visualising data held in Elasticsearchnot Traceloop
  • Dashboards over log and metric datanot Traceloop
  • Anomaly detection with machine learning jobsnot Traceloop
  • Geospatial analysis on indexed location datanot Traceloop
  • Alerting on query thresholdsnot Traceloop

Traceloop

  • Monitoring LLM application performance in productionnot Kibana
  • Instrumenting LLM apps with minimal code overheadnot Kibana
  • Continuous evaluation and quality scoring of LLM outputsnot Kibana
  • Debugging LLM application issues with full trace visibilitynot Kibana
  • Integrating observability data into existing monitoring stacksnot Kibana

Where each one falls short

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

Kibana

  • Requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool
  • Self-managed means running and scaling the Elastic stack yourself
  • Cost is not Kibana's own; it follows whichever Elastic deployment sits underneath

Traceloop

  • Free tier limited to 50k spans per month and 24-hour retention, restricting production use
  • Company acquisition by ServiceNow creates uncertainty about future roadmap
  • Requires integration with separate observability platforms for visualization
  • Less feature-rich than dedicated LLM evaluation platforms

Pricing, plan by plan

Kibana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Data visualization
    • Dashboard creation
    • Log discovery

Traceloop

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50,000 spans per month
    • Up to 5 seats
    • 24-hour data retention
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Unlimited spans per month
    • Unlimited seats
    • Custom data retention

Which should you pick?

Choose Kibana if

  • You need data visualization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want dashboard creation.
Kibana review

Choose Traceloop if

  • You need open-source sdk (openllmetry).
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby.
  • You also want multi-provider support.
Traceloop review

Questions people ask

Is Kibana or Traceloop better?
Neither clearly leads. Kibana starts at Free and Traceloop at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kibana or Traceloop?
Kibana starts at Free and Traceloop at Free.
Does Kibana or Traceloop run on more platforms?
Kibana runs on Web, Api. Traceloop runs on Cloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby.
Can I use Kibana for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Kibana best used for?
Kibana is most often used for querying and visualising data held in elasticsearch, dashboards over log and metric data, anomaly detection with machine learning jobs, geospatial analysis on indexed location data. Of those, querying and visualising data held in elasticsearch and dashboards over log and metric data are not what Traceloop is typically brought in for.
What can Kibana do that Traceloop cannot?
Kibana covers Data visualization, Dashboard creation, Log discovery, Alerting. Traceloop covers Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry), Multi-provider support, Observability platform integration, Framework support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kibana: Is Kibana available for free?

Kibana is offered with a free trial across all deployment models (Elastic Cloud Serverless, Hosted, and self-managed). Kibana is a component of the Elastic product suite and is not priced separately.

Source
Traceloop: Is OpenLLMetry open-source?

Yes, OpenLLMetry is Traceloop's open-source SDK built on OpenTelemetry standards. It allows teams to instrument LLM applications with just 2 lines of code and send data to 25+ observability platforms.

Source
Kibana: How is Kibana priced?

Kibana pricing is bundled with Elasticsearch or other Elastic products. Pricing varies by deployment model: Elastic Cloud Serverless uses usage-based pricing, Hosted uses resource-based pricing, and self-managed is free to download.

Source
Traceloop: What is the impact of ServiceNow acquisition?

Traceloop is joining ServiceNow, representing a strategic acquisition that will broaden enterprise adoption and integration capabilities. Current operations continue with free and enterprise options available.

Source
Traceloop: How many LLM providers and frameworks does Traceloop support?

Traceloop supports 20+ LLM providers including OpenAI and Anthropic, and integrates with frameworks like LangChain and LlamaIndex. It can send data to 25+ observability platforms.

Source
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