# SigNoz vs OpenObserve

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/compare/signoz-vs-openobserve/

Every value below is read from SigNoz's and OpenObserve's own documentation. See https://inetgeek.com/methodology/ for how.

## At a glance

| Criterion | SigNoz | OpenObserve |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Per GB ingested, with no per-user, per-host or custom-metric pricing — SigNoz states all three exclusions explicitly. Retention is a per-signal choice that changes the rate. | Two meters and nothing else: $0.50 per GB ingested and $0.01 per GB queried, with retention included rather than sold as a tier. OpenObserve frames it as no hidden tiers and no surprise bills. |
| Retention window | 15 days by default for logs and traces, selectable up to 30, 90, 180 days or 1 year at higher rates. | Included rather than priced: 15 months for metrics and 30 days for logs, traces, RUM and everything else, at no extra cost on pay-as-you-go. |
| Self-hostable | Supported | Supported |
| Ingest price per GB | $0.30 per GB ingested for logs, and the same for traces. Retention is chosen per signal and priced with it. | $0.50 per GB ingested, quoted with a 30% annual-commitment discount already applied. |

## Where they differ

### Pricing model

- SigNoz: Per GB ingested, with no per-user, per-host or custom-metric pricing — SigNoz states all three exclusions explicitly. Retention is a per-signal choice that changes the rate. ([source](https://signoz.io/pricing/))
- OpenObserve: Two meters and nothing else: $0.50 per GB ingested and $0.01 per GB queried, with retention included rather than sold as a tier. OpenObserve frames it as no hidden tiers and no surprise bills. ([source](https://openobserve.ai/pricing))

### Retention window

- SigNoz: 15 days by default for logs and traces, selectable up to 30, 90, 180 days or 1 year at higher rates. ([source](https://signoz.io/pricing/))
- OpenObserve: Included rather than priced: 15 months for metrics and 30 days for logs, traces, RUM and everything else, at no extra cost on pay-as-you-go. ([source](https://openobserve.ai/pricing))

### Ingest price per GB

- SigNoz: $0.30 per GB ingested for logs, and the same for traces. Retention is chosen per signal and priced with it. ([source](https://signoz.io/pricing/))
- OpenObserve: $0.50 per GB ingested, quoted with a 30% annual-commitment discount already applied. ([source](https://openobserve.ai/pricing))

## Which should you choose?

Pick SigNoz if Teams that want per-GB billing without per-host or per-seat charges, and the option to run the same product themselves rather than being locked to the cloud version.

Pick OpenObserve if Teams that want one bill they can predict — ingest, query, and retention included — with session replay and RUM in the same product rather than as separate purchases.

Consider something else: SigNoz — $0.30 per GB is six times OpenObserve's rate, so a high-volume log pipeline pays a large premium for the packaging.

Consider something else: OpenObserve — Ingest is $0.50 per GB against Grafana Cloud's $0.050, so the simplicity costs an order of magnitude at volume.

## Documented by only one

- Free tier: SigNoz: No
- Entry paid plan: SigNoz: $49/month for Teams, and the $49 is usage credit rather than a fee on top — SigNoz bills against it before charging more.
- Session replay: OpenObserve: Supported
- Query price: OpenObserve: $0.01 per GB queried, billed separately from ingest.

## Questions this comparison answers

**Should I choose SigNoz or OpenObserve?**

Pick SigNoz if Teams that want per-GB billing without per-host or per-seat charges, and the option to run the same product themselves rather than being locked to the cloud version.
Pick OpenObserve if Teams that want one bill they can predict — ingest, query, and retention included — with session replay and RUM in the same product rather than as separate purchases.