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Logging · head to head

Rootly vs Stackdriver

Rootly logo

Rootly

Logging

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

From
$20/user-month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stackdriver logo

Stackdriver

Logging

Google Cloud Operations - Monitoring and Logging

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Stackdriver has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Rootly pricing higher than some competitors for basic features; Stackdriver stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
  • They diverge on capability: Rootly covers AI SRE automation, Stackdriver covers Log management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Rootly and Stackdriver actually diverge.

Attributes where Rootly and Stackdriver differ
AttributeRootlyStackdriver
Starting price$20/user-monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft TeamsWeb, Api
Founded20202006

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 Rootly

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

Only in Stackdriver

  • Log management
  • Metrics collection
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Error reporting
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Rootly

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

Stackdriver

  • Application performance monitoringnot Rootly
  • Log aggregation and analysisnot Rootly
  • Cloud infrastructure observabilitynot Rootly
  • Distributed trace analysisnot Rootly

Where each one falls short

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

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

Stackdriver

  • Stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
  • Cloud Logging charges $0.50 per GiB ingested, with only the first 50 GiB per project per month free
  • Logs kept beyond 30 days cost an extra $0.01 per GiB per month on top of the ingestion charge
  • Monitoring metric ingestion starts at $0.2580 per MiB, with only the first 150 MiB per billing account free
  • Alerting policies are billed at $0.35 per month for each metric reference in the policy
  • Uptime checks cost $0.30 per 1,000 executions and synthetic monitors $1.20 per 1,000 executions, with only 100 synthetic executions per billing account free
  • Monitoring read API calls cost $0.50 per million time series returned beyond the first million per billing account
  • Log volume is measured before indexing on the actual size of log entries, so verbose logging directly drives cost

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Stackdriver

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log management
    • Metrics collection
    • Real-time monitoring

Which should you pick?

Choose Rootly if

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

Choose Stackdriver if

  • You need log management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Stackdriver review

Questions people ask

Is Rootly or Stackdriver better?
Neither clearly leads. Rootly starts at $20/user-month and Stackdriver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Rootly or Stackdriver?
Stackdriver has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/user-month for Rootly and Free for Stackdriver.
Does Rootly or Stackdriver run on more platforms?
Rootly runs on Web, Mobile, Slack, Microsoft Teams. Stackdriver runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Stackdriver for free?
Yes. Stackdriver has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rootly starts at $20/user-month.
What is Rootly best used for?
Rootly is most often used for automate on-call and incident response workflows, run root cause analysis with ai assistance, track and improve mean time to mitigation (mttr), coordinate response across distributed teams. Of those, automate on-call and incident response workflows and run root cause analysis with ai assistance are not what Stackdriver is typically brought in for.
What can Rootly do that Stackdriver cannot?
Rootly covers AI SRE automation, Alert routing, On-call management, Incident response. Stackdriver covers Log management, Metrics collection, Real-time monitoring, Error reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Stackdriver: How much does Google Cloud Observability (Stackdriver) cost?

Google Cloud Observability does not publish fixed subscription prices. The service uses a usage-based pricing model where you pay for actual consumption. Specific rates require visiting the individual pricing pages for Cloud Logging, Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Trace, and Cloud Profiler.

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
Stackdriver: What is the pricing model for Cloud Logging?

Cloud Logging uses usage-based pricing charged per GB of logs ingested and per GB stored, with monthly free tiers included. Storage charges vary by retention period and location.

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
Stackdriver: How is Cloud Monitoring billed?

Cloud Monitoring charges per custom metric time series per month, with a monthly free tier for metrics. Standard monitoring includes basic default metrics at no extra charge.

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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