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Logging · head to head

Rollbar vs Rootly

Rollbar logo

Rollbar

Logging

Real-Time Error Tracking and Debugging

From
Free
Rated
-
Rootly logo

Rootly

Logging

AI-native incident management with automation, on-call, and root cause analysis

From
$20/user-month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Rollbar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Rollbar the free plan allows 5,000 occurrences a month with 30 day retention; Rootly pricing higher than some competitors for basic features
  • They diverge on capability: Rollbar covers Error tracking, Rootly covers AI SRE automation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Rollbar and Rootly actually diverge.

Attributes where Rollbar and Rootly differ
AttributeRollbarRootly
Starting priceFree$20/user-month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams
Founded20122020

Identical on both: 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 Rollbar

  • Error tracking
  • Real-time alerts
  • Error grouping
  • Source maps
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Rootly

  • AI SRE automation
  • Alert routing
  • On-call management
  • Incident response
  • Call routing
  • AI meeting bot
  • Status pages

What people use each for

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

Rollbar

  • Tracking application errors and exceptions across deploymentsnot Rootly
  • Grouping and alerting on production error occurrencesnot Rootly

Rootly

  • Automate on-call and incident response workflowsnot Rollbar
  • Run root cause analysis with AI assistancenot Rollbar
  • Track and improve Mean Time to Mitigation (MTTR)not Rollbar
  • Coordinate response across distributed teamsnot Rollbar
  • Learn from post-incident retrospectivesnot Rollbar

Where each one falls short

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

Rollbar

  • The free plan allows 5,000 occurrences a month with 30 day retention
  • Retention is a paid ladder rather than a setting, at up to 90 days on Essentials and up to 180 on Advanced
  • Advanced alerting, the RQL analytics query language and SCIM provisioning are excluded from the free plan
  • Enterprise requires a $4M annual plan minimum
  • No price is published for Essentials or Advanced, so only the free tier has a visible cost

Rootly

  • Pricing higher than some competitors for basic features
  • AI SRE features require separate contact-sales engagement
  • Learning curve for advanced automation features
  • Per-user pricing increases costs as team grows

Pricing, plan by plan

Rollbar

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5K occurrences per month
    • 1K replays
    • Real-time alerts
  • Essentials$null/month
    • 10K-50M occurrences
    • 4K credits included
    • 90-day retention
  • Advanced$null/month
    • 8K credits
    • Adaptive alerts
    • RQL and Metrics API
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • 80M+ events
    • Direct Slack support
    • Priority SLAs

Rootly

$20/user-month
  • Incident Response Essentials$20/user-month
    • Response with Slack integration
    • @Rootly AI Chat
    • AI Similar Incidents detection
  • Incident Response Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Essentials features
    • Custom forms and incident types
    • Private incidents
  • On-Call Essentials$20/user-month
    • Alert grouping and routing
    • Live call routing (1 phone number)
    • Schedules and escalation policies
  • On-Call Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Essentials features
    • 5 phone numbers for call routing
    • Unlimited schedules

Which should you pick?

Choose Rollbar if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time alerts.

Choose Rootly if

  • You need ai sre automation.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
  • You also want alert routing.

Questions people ask

Is Rollbar or Rootly better?
Neither clearly leads. Rollbar starts at Free and Rootly at $20/user-month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Rollbar or Rootly?
Rollbar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Rollbar and $20/user-month for Rootly.
Does Rollbar or Rootly run on more platforms?
Rollbar runs on Web, Api. Rootly runs on Web, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
Can I use Rollbar for free?
Yes. Rollbar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rootly starts at $20/user-month.
What is Rollbar best used for?
Rollbar is most often used for tracking application errors and exceptions across deployments, grouping and alerting on production error occurrences. Of those, tracking application errors and exceptions across deployments and grouping and alerting on production error occurrences are not what Rootly is typically brought in for.
What can Rollbar do that Rootly cannot?
Rollbar covers Error tracking, Real-time alerts, Error grouping, Source maps. Rootly covers AI SRE automation, Alert routing, On-call management, Incident response.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rollbar: How much does Rollbar cost?

Free plan is $0 with 5K occurrences per month. Essentials, Advanced, and Enterprise plans do not have published pricing and require contact with sales.

Source
Rootly: How much does Rootly cost?

Rootly charges $20/user/month for both Incident Response and On-Call Essentials plans. Enterprise plans require contacting sales. Startups under 100 employees with less than $50M raised get up to 50% discount.

Source
Rollbar: Is there a free trial?

Yes, a 14-day full access trial is available with 200K occurrences, 10K replays, and 15K credits.

Source
Rootly: What is Rootly AI SRE?

AI SRE is an advanced feature that provides automated root cause analysis, alert correlation with system changes, impact analysis, and remediation suggestions. Pricing requires contact with sales.

Source
Rollbar: How are overages handled?

Three overage protection options are available: stop processing at plan limits, enable on-demand billing at standard rates, or set a custom overage budget cap.

Source
Rootly: Does Rootly integrate with Slack?

Yes, Rootly natively integrates with Slack for incident response workflows, allowing teams to manage incidents directly in Slack.

Source
Rootly: Are there discounts for small companies?

Yes, startups under 100 employees or less than 25 employees can get special pricing up to 50% discount. Contact Rootly sales for details.

Source
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