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Logging · head to head

Openstatus vs Retrace

Openstatus logo

Openstatus

Logging

Status pages with uptime monitoring and compliance-ready incident tracking

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Retrace logo

Retrace

Logging

Application Performance Monitoring and Logs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Openstatus free tier severely limited to 1 monitor and 1 status page; Retrace end of Life scheduled for March 31, 2027; the product is being discontinued
  • They diverge on capability: Openstatus covers Branded status pages, Retrace covers Log management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Openstatus and Retrace actually diverge.

Attributes where Openstatus and Retrace differ
AttributeOpenstatusRetrace
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python
Founded20232012

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 Openstatus

  • Branded status pages
  • Global monitoring
  • Incident notifications
  • Audit-ready trails
  • API and CLI access
  • Terraform provider
  • Self-hosting

Only in Retrace

  • Log management
  • Application performance tracking
  • Error detection
  • Code profiling
  • Performance baselines
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST

What people use each for

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

Openstatus

  • Publishing incident status pages to customersnot Retrace
  • Demonstrating compliance readiness to auditorsnot Retrace
  • Alerting internal teams when services are downnot Retrace
  • Tracking uptime metrics across global regionsnot Retrace

Retrace

  • Log monitoringnot Openstatus
  • Application performancenot Openstatus
  • Security analyticsnot Openstatus
  • Troubleshootingnot Openstatus

Where each one falls short

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

Openstatus

  • Free tier severely limited to 1 monitor and 1 status page
  • Per-status-page pricing adds cost for multi-product organizations
  • No built-in workflow orchestration or incident response automation
  • Limited historical analytics beyond incident documentation
  • No AI-powered incident diagnosis or root cause analysis

Retrace

  • End of Life scheduled for March 31, 2027; the product is being discontinued
  • Costs escalate quickly with per-server billing model, expensive at scale
  • User interface and dashboard criticisms; UI is outdated and difficult to use
  • Logging latency; logs can take time to appear and are not instant
  • Less mature support for Node.js, Python, and newer ecosystems
  • Reporting issues where process restarts provide only timeline without root cause data
  • Reliability concerns; monitoring has stopped collecting traces with no warning

Pricing, plan by plan

Openstatus

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 monitor with 10-minute intervals
    • 1 status page with 3 components
    • No credit card required
  • Starter$30/month
    • 20 monitors with 1-minute intervals
    • 1 status page with 20 components
    • 3-month data retention
  • Pro$100/month
    • 50 monitors with 30-second intervals
    • 5 status pages with 50 components each
    • 12-month data retention
  • Scale$500/month
    • 50 monitors with 30-second intervals
    • 10 status pages with 500 components each
    • 24-month data retention

Retrace

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log management
    • Application performance tracking
    • Error detection

Which should you pick?

Choose Openstatus if

  • You need branded status pages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want global monitoring.
Openstatus review

Choose Retrace if

  • You need log management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python.
  • You also want application performance tracking.
Retrace review

Questions people ask

Is Openstatus or Retrace better?
Neither clearly leads. Openstatus starts at Free and Retrace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Openstatus or Retrace?
Openstatus starts at Free and Retrace at Free.
Does Openstatus or Retrace run on more platforms?
Openstatus runs on Web, API. Retrace runs on Web, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python.
Can I use Openstatus for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Openstatus best used for?
Openstatus is most often used for publishing incident status pages to customers, demonstrating compliance readiness to auditors, alerting internal teams when services are down, tracking uptime metrics across global regions. Of those, publishing incident status pages to customers and demonstrating compliance readiness to auditors are not what Retrace is typically brought in for.
What can Openstatus do that Retrace cannot?
Openstatus covers Branded status pages, Global monitoring, Incident notifications, Audit-ready trails. Retrace covers Log management, Application performance tracking, Error detection, Code profiling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Openstatus: Can I use OpenStatus for free?

Yes, the free tier includes 1 monitor with 10-minute check intervals and 1 status page with 3 components, no credit card required.

Source
Retrace: What does Retrace monitor?

Retrace provides application performance monitoring (APM), centralized log management, error tracking, code profiling, and real user monitoring (RUM). It aggregates logs from applications and servers in one place.

Source
Openstatus: What is included in annual billing for Starter plan?

Annual billing costs $300/year (vs $360/month), saving 2 months. Includes 20 monitors, 1-minute intervals, and all alert types.

Source
Retrace: What programming languages does Retrace support?

Retrace supports .NET, .NET Core, PHP, Node.js, Ruby, Python, and Java applications. Support for Node.js, Python, and newer ecosystems is noted as less mature.

Source
Openstatus: Can I add extra status pages beyond my plan limit?

Yes, additional status pages cost $20/month and are billed separately on top of your plan.

Source
Retrace: Is Retrace being discontinued?

Yes. Retrace will reach End of Life on March 31, 2027. Users should plan to migrate to alternative solutions.

Source
Retrace: What databases and services does Retrace integrate with?

Retrace supports SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, and cloud platforms like AWS and Azure.

Source
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