Best Distributed Tracing Tools in 2026
Updated
In short: Grafana Cloud Application Observability is ranked #1 of 29 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Uptrace and Apache SkyWalking. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Uptrace. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Grafana Cloud Application Observability at $0.03/mo.
When requests pass between services, distributed tracing tools help you examine trace data and service relationships. Compare OpenTelemetry support, service maps, tail-based sampling, and trace retention to understand the capabilities listed for following activity. Deployment model and pricing basis matter too; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer access and cost details. Grafana Cloud Application Observability, Uptrace, and Apache SkyWalking are among the tools to weigh, alongside Honeycomb. Consider how you plan to deploy tracing and what sampling, mapping, and retention options you need when reviewing the entries.
29 distributed tracing tools ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
16 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grafana Cloud Application ObservabilityWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $0.03/mo | 6.7 | |
| 2 | UptraceWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $39/mo | 6.7 | |
| 3 | Apache SkyWalkingWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | AWS X-RayWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | HoneycombWeb · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $150/mo | 6.6 | |
| 6 | HubbleWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 7 | JaegerWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 8 | SigNozWeb · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $19/mo | 6.6 | |
| 9 | TracetestWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 10 | PinpointWeb · Windows · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 11 | VictoriaLogsWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 12 | Grafana Cloud TracesWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 13 | Grafana k6Linux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $19/mo | 6.4 | |
| 14 | OpenZipkinWeb · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 15 | PixieWeb · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 16 | TracekitWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $24/mo | 6.4 | |
| 17 | Elastic ObservabilityWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 18 | Tencent Cloud Application Performance ManagementWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 19 | Oracle Log AnalyticsWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | AppSignalWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | DataBuffWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | Grafana TempoLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 23 | HypertraceWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | Sentry PerformanceWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | BaselimeWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | OpenTelemetry support | Service map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grafana Cloud Application Observability | 6.7 | Free plan | $0.03/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | Uptrace | 6.7 | Free plan | $39/mo | Yes | 39 /mo | — | — |
| 3 | Apache SkyWalking | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | AWS X-Ray | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Honeycomb | 6.6 | Free plan | $150/mo | Yes | 150 /mo | — | — |
| 6 | Hubble | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | Jaeger | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | SigNoz | 6.6 | Free plan | $19/mo | Yes | 49 /mo | — | — |
| 9 | Tracetest | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | Pinpoint | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | VictoriaLogs | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | Grafana Cloud Traces | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | 19 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | Grafana k6 | 6.4 | Free plan | $19/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 14 | OpenZipkin | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 15 | Pixie | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Tracekit | 6.4 | Free plan | $24/mo | Yes | 24 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | Elastic Observability | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | Tencent Cloud Application Performance Management | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Oracle Log Analytics | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | AppSignal | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | 23.25 /mo | — | — |
| 21 | DataBuff | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | Grafana Tempo | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | Hypertrace | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 24 | Sentry Performance | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | 26 /mo | Yes | — |
| 25 | Baselime | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which distributed tracing tool is ranked first on Freedom251?
Grafana Cloud Application Observability is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 6.7. Uptrace is second and Apache SkyWalking third.
How many of these have a free plan?
16 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Grafana Cloud Application Observability has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.03/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.