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Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Linode vs Prometheus

Linode logo

Linode

Cloud & Infrastructure

Affordable cloud hosting and infrastructure

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Network & Connectivity

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Linode linode.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to akamai.com/cloud/pricing; the service is now sold as Akamai Cloud; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: Linode covers Compute instances, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Linode and Prometheus actually diverge.

Attributes where Linode and Prometheus differ
AttributeLinodePrometheus
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsWeb, Api, CliLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureNetwork & Connectivity
Founded20032015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Linode

  • Compute instances
  • Object storage
  • Block storage
  • Managed database
  • Load balancers
  • Firewalls
  • Private networks
  • Terraform

Only in Prometheus

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

Both cover

  • Kubernetes
  • Kubernetes

What people use each for

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

Linode

  • Running Linux virtual machines on hourly billed shared or dedicated CPU plansnot Prometheus
  • Managed Kubernetes, block storage and object storage on a single cloud accountnot Prometheus
  • Hosting workloads in a specific one of the listed global regionsnot Prometheus

Prometheus

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

Where each one falls short

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

Linode

  • linode.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to akamai.com/cloud/pricing; the service is now sold as Akamai Cloud
  • Charges accrue for any service on the account even when it is powered off, because RAM and network capacity stay reserved; only deleting the service stops billing
  • Network transfer beyond the monthly allotment is billed from $0.005 per GB and the rate varies by region
  • The Akamai Cloud pricing landing page shows no rates and directs visitors to regional pricing pages or sales

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

Linode

Free
  • Nanode 1GB$5/month
    • 1GB RAM
    • 1 vCPU
    • 25GB SSD
  • Linode 4GB$20/month
    • 4GB RAM
    • 2 vCPU
    • 80GB SSD

Prometheus

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prometheus review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Linode if

  • You need compute instances.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want object storage.
Linode 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 Linode or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. Linode 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, Linode or Prometheus?
Linode starts at Free and Prometheus at Free.
Does Linode or Prometheus run on more platforms?
Linode runs on Web, Api, Cli. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Linode for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Linode best used for?
Linode is most often used for running linux virtual machines on hourly billed shared or dedicated cpu plans, managed kubernetes, block storage and object storage on a single cloud account, hosting workloads in a specific one of the listed global regions. Of those, running linux virtual machines on hourly billed shared or dedicated cpu plans and managed kubernetes, block storage and object storage on a single cloud account are not what Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can Linode do that Prometheus cannot?
Linode covers Compute instances, Object storage, Block storage, Managed database. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery. Both handle Kubernetes, Kubernetes.
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