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Grafana Cloud Traces
What Grafana Cloud Traces is
Grafana Cloud Traces is a managed backend for searching distributed traces, creating metrics from spans, and connecting trace data with logs and metrics. Powered by Grafana Tempo, it combines trace storage with a query engine. Its storage uses object storage and a columnar trace format based on Apache Parquet.
The service accepts OpenTelemetry, Zipkin, and Jaeger data. Applications can send spans through Grafana Alloy or the OpenTelemetry Collector. TraceQL lets users select spans and locate those matching specified conditions. Cloud Traces can also derive request rate, error rate, and duration metrics for services, while Grafana describes moving among traces, logs, and metrics within its integrated stack. Grafana positions it for teams investigating request flows and performance issues at scale.
The Free plan includes 50 GB of monthly ingestion, 14-day retention, and community support. Pro has a $19 per month platform fee that includes 50 GB, followed by usage-based charges; it includes 30-day retention and 8×5 email support. Enterprise requires a minimum commit of $25,000 per year, with custom retention, premium support, and deployment flexibility across public cloud, federal cloud, or bring your own cloud. The default maximum trace size is 3,000,000 bytes, and oversized traces can be discarded.
Who it suits
Grafana Cloud Traces suits teams that need to search distributed request traces and connect them with logs and metrics. It is also aimed at teams investigating request flows and performance issues at scale, with data arriving through OpenTelemetry, Zipkin, or Jaeger.
What it does well
- Accepts OpenTelemetry, Zipkin, and Jaeger data.
- TraceQL can find spans matching specified conditions.
- Can derive request rate, error rate, and duration metrics.
- Connects tracing data with logs and metrics.
- Free plan includes 50 GB of monthly ingestion.
What to know first
- Free accounts have a minimum retention period of 14 days.
- The default maximum trace size is 3,000,000 bytes; oversized traces can be discarded.
- Pro adds usage-based charges after its $19 monthly platform fee and included 50 GB.
- Enterprise requires a $25,000 yearly minimum commit.
Limits
The Free plan includes 50 GB of ingestion per month and 14-day retention. Pro includes 50 GB in its $19 monthly platform fee and has 30-day minimum retention, with further usage charged as used; Enterprise has a $25,000 yearly minimum commit and custom retention.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Always free · 50 GB ingested per month · 14 day retention · Community support | Free |
| Pro | Platform fee of $19 per month includes 50 GB ingested per month; then pay as you go · 30 days retention · 8×5 email support · automatic volume discounts | On request |
| Enterprise | Minimum commit of $25,000 per year · Custom retention · Premium support · Public Cloud, Federal Cloud, or Bring Your Own Cloud deployment flexibility | On request |
As grafana.com lists them, read 29 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the Grafana Cloud Traces documentation.
- Choose the Free, Pro, or Enterprise plan.
- Send application spans through Grafana Alloy or the OpenTelemetry Collector.
- Use OpenTelemetry, Zipkin, or Jaeger tracing protocols.
Verdict
Choose Grafana Cloud Traces if your team needs managed trace search, span-derived metrics, and connections among traces, logs, and metrics. The Free plan provides 50 GB per month with 14-day retention; teams needing longer minimum retention can consider Pro, while Enterprise carries a $25,000 yearly minimum commit.
Questions
Is there a free plan?
Yes. Free is always available free of charge and includes 50 GB ingested per month, 14-day retention, and community support.
How much does Pro cost?
The platform fee is $19 per month and includes 50 GB ingested per month. Additional usage is pay as you go.
What protocols does Cloud Traces support?
It supports OpenTelemetry, Zipkin, and Jaeger.
How long are traces retained?
The Free plan has 14-day retention. Paid accounts have a 30-day minimum, and Enterprise offers custom retention.
How can applications send spans?
Grafana says spans can be sent through Grafana Alloy or the OpenTelemetry Collector.
What support comes with each plan?
Free includes community support, Pro includes 8×5 email support, and Enterprise offers premium support.
Facts from Grafana Cloud Traces's own pages
- Automatic metrics
- Grafana Cloud Traces can automatically derive request rate, error rate, and duration metrics for services. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Data pipelines
- Grafana says users can send spans from applications through Grafana Alloy or the OpenTelemetry Collector. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Free retention
- The minimum retention period for free accounts is 14 days. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Intended users
- Grafana describes Cloud Traces as helping teams understand request flows and troubleshoot performance issues at scale. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Paid retention
- The minimum retention period for paid accounts is 30 days; additional retention is charged per gigabyte for each additional 30-day increment. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Powered by Tempo
- The service is powered by Grafana Tempo and provides trace storage and a query engine. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Protocols
- The service supports open source tracing protocols including OpenTelemetry, Zipkin, and Jaeger. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Grafana Cloud Traces is a fully managed distributed tracing backend for searching traces, generating metrics from spans, and linking tracing data with logs and metrics. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Related signals
- Grafana describes correlating logs with traces and pivoting among metrics, logs, and traces in its integrated stack. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Security and compliance
- Grafana Labs states that it is certified to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 and maintains PCI compliance for its corporate environment. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Storage
- It uses object storage and a columnar trace storage format based on Apache Parquet. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Support
- The Free tier includes community support, Pro includes 8×5 email support, and Enterprise offers premium support. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- TraceQL
- TraceQL lets users select spans and jump to spans that match specified conditions. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Trace size limit
- The usage limits page gives a default maximum trace size of 3,000,000 bytes and says oversized traces can be discarded. · grafana.com, 29 Sept 2026
Where Grafana Cloud Traces stands on Freedom251
- Distributed Tracing Tools#13 of 32