Softwr

Logging · head to head

Stackdriver vs Traceloop

Stackdriver logo

Stackdriver

Logging

Google Cloud Operations - Monitoring and Logging

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: Stackdriver stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page; Traceloop free tier limited to 50k spans per month and 24-hour retention, restricting production use
  • They diverge on capability: Stackdriver covers Log management, 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 Stackdriver and Traceloop actually diverge.

Attributes where Stackdriver and Traceloop differ
AttributeStackdriverTraceloop
Pricing modelusage-basedFreemium with pay-as-you-go enterprise option
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby
Founded2006Unknown

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 Stackdriver

  • Log management
  • Metrics collection
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Error reporting
  • 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.

Stackdriver

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

Traceloop

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

Stackdriver

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

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 Stackdriver if

  • You need log management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Stackdriver 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 Stackdriver or Traceloop better?
Neither clearly leads. Stackdriver 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, Stackdriver or Traceloop?
Stackdriver starts at Free and Traceloop at Free.
Does Stackdriver or Traceloop run on more platforms?
Stackdriver runs on Web, Api. Traceloop runs on Cloud, On-premises, Air-gapped, Python, TypeScript, Go, Ruby.
Can I use Stackdriver for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Stackdriver best used for?
Stackdriver is most often used for application performance monitoring, log aggregation and analysis, cloud infrastructure observability, distributed trace analysis. Of those, application performance monitoring and log aggregation and analysis are not what Traceloop is typically brought in for.
What can Stackdriver do that Traceloop cannot?
Stackdriver covers Log management, Metrics collection, Real-time monitoring, Error reporting. Traceloop covers Open-source SDK (OpenLLMetry), Multi-provider support, Observability platform integration, Framework support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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
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
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
Share

Related pages

More on Stackdriver

More on Traceloop

Keep looking

Other head to heads