Softwr

Cloud · head to head

Thanos vs Ubiquiti UniFi

Thanos logo

Thanos

Cloud

Highly available Prometheus with long-term object storage

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ubiquiti UniFi logo

Ubiquiti UniFi

Networking

Effortlessly manage 100+ APs in the same way you manage an individual AP

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Thanos has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Thanos several components — sidecar, store, querier, compactor, ruler — each with its own configuration and failure modes; Ubiquiti UniFi product page states no licensing fees but publishes no hardware price; buyers must go to the Ubiquiti Store or an authorized distributor for a figure

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Thanos and Ubiquiti UniFi actually diverge.

Attributes where Thanos and Ubiquiti UniFi differ
AttributeThanosUbiquiti UniFi
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsKubernetes, Linux, DockerWeb
CategoryCloudNetworking

Identical on both: 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 Thanos

  • Global query
  • Object storage retention
  • Deduplication
  • Downsampling

Only in Ubiquiti UniFi

Nothing recorded that Thanos does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Thanos

  • Querying metrics across many clusters or regions from one placenot Ubiquiti UniFi
  • Retaining metrics for years without local disk growthnot Ubiquiti UniFi
  • Removing the gap that appears when a single Prometheus instance restartsnot Ubiquiti UniFi

Ubiquiti UniFi

No use cases recorded yet. See the Ubiquiti UniFi review.

Where each one falls short

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

Thanos

  • Several components — sidecar, store, querier, compactor, ruler — each with its own configuration and failure modes
  • The compactor is a common source of operational trouble and must not run twice against the same bucket
  • Query latency over object storage is meaningfully higher than local Prometheus
  • Object storage costs and API request charges become real at high volume

Ubiquiti UniFi

  • Product page states no licensing fees but publishes no hardware price; buyers must go to the Ubiquiti Store or an authorized distributor for a figure
  • Newest WiFi 7 access points such as the U7 Pro require compatible UniFi controller hardware or cloud console to manage centrally

Pricing, plan by plan

Thanos

Free
  • ThanosFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Ubiquiti UniFi

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Ubiquiti UniFi review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Thanos if

  • You need global query.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Kubernetes, Linux, Docker.
  • You also want object storage retention.
Thanos review

Choose Ubiquiti UniFi if

Nothing in the data separates Ubiquiti UniFi from Thanos on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Ubiquiti UniFi review

Questions people ask

Is Thanos or Ubiquiti UniFi better?
Neither clearly leads. Thanos starts at Free and Ubiquiti UniFi at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Thanos or Ubiquiti UniFi?
Thanos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Thanos and On request for Ubiquiti UniFi.
Does Thanos or Ubiquiti UniFi run on more platforms?
Thanos runs on Kubernetes, Linux, Docker. Ubiquiti UniFi runs on Web.
Can I use Thanos for free?
Yes. Thanos has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ubiquiti UniFi starts at On request.
What is Thanos best used for?
Thanos is most often used for querying metrics across many clusters or regions from one place, retaining metrics for years without local disk growth, removing the gap that appears when a single prometheus instance restarts. Of those, querying metrics across many clusters or regions from one place and retaining metrics for years without local disk growth are not what Ubiquiti UniFi is typically brought in for.
What can Thanos do that Ubiquiti UniFi cannot?
Thanos covers Global query, Object storage retention, Deduplication, Downsampling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Thanos: Is Thanos free?

Yes, open source and CNCF-incubating. Costs are the object storage it uses.

Thanos: Does Thanos replace Prometheus?

No. It runs alongside existing Prometheus servers, adding global query, deduplication and long-term storage.

Thanos: Thanos or VictoriaMetrics?

Thanos layers onto Prometheus using object storage and is the more established multi-cluster answer. VictoriaMetrics is a separate store aiming at lower resource use and fewer moving parts.

Share

Related pages

More on Thanos

More on Ubiquiti UniFi

Keep looking

Other head to heads