Free and open first
Best Runtime Monitoring Software in 2026
Runtime monitoring software helps you observe running applications through signals such as distributed traces, errors, profiles, service maps, real-user data, and related logs. This category suits people comparing application visibility tools for web, API, Linux, Windows, self-hosted, or iOS environments.
- 56 apps
- Research read 10 Oct 2026
- How the order is worked out
- 1
Coroot
Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hosted+2Choose Coroot if you need self-hosted observability with service maps, tracing, profiling and incident analysis.
- 2
Netdata
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5Netdata combines infrastructure metrics, logs, alerts, and troubleshooting across cloud and on-premises deployment options.
- 3
Uptrace
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3Uptrace offers flexible analysis and deployment options for OpenTelemetry data, from a free Cloud plan to self-hosted editions.
- 4
Airbrake
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1Airbrake combines error context, deployment tracking, and performance monitoring for technical teams. Check monthly quotas and on-demand excess charges when choosing a plan.
- 5
Alibaba Cloud ARMS RUM
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3Alibaba Cloud ARMS RUM covers several core monitoring areas and specifies a 90-day retention period.
- 6
Apache SkyWalking
Free plan APILinuxMac+3Apache SkyWalking covers service observability and AI workload inspection in a self-hosted package.
- 7
Azure Application Insights
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3Application Insights offers telemetry collection, investigation, and usage analytics, with the first 5 GB per month per billing account free.
- 8
Backtrace
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+4Backtrace combines error reporting, search, and debugging tools with several deployment options.
- 9
BugSnag
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+5BugSnag combines error grouping, diagnostics, stability tracking, and performance monitoring across a broad range of platforms.
- 10
Embrace
Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+2Embrace links mobile and web performance signals with user sessions and supports data forwarding through OpenTelemetry interfaces.
- 11
AppSignal
Free plan APIWebAppSignal covers errors, performance, logs and tracing, with a free plan and annual-billed paid access.
- 12
Grafana Cloud Application Observability
Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+5Grafana Cloud Application Observability brings several telemetry types and service-level views together for application investigation.
- 13
Honeycomb
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+2Honeycomb combines telemetry ingestion with investigation tools for tracing and related data. Free has stated monthly data allowances; larger deployments can consider Pro or custom Enterprise plans.
- 14
Exceptionless
Free plan APISelf-hostedWebExceptionless combines event reporting and stack-trace details with hosted and self-hosted deployment options.
- 15
GlitchTip
Free plan APISelf-hostedWebGlitchTip combines error tracking with performance, uptime, and log monitoring, and offers both hosted and self-hosted deployment.
- 16
Google Cloud Trace
Free plan APILinuxWebCloud Trace offers latency visualization, SQL querying and connections to logs and BigQuery, with a free monthly span allowance.
- 17
Hypertrace
Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWeb+1Hypertrace offers trace exploration, service views, and deployment options for teams investigating system behavior.
- 18
Jaeger
Free plan APILinuxMac+3Jaeger provides distributed tracing, service graphs, and trace-derived performance metrics as a self-hosted open-source project.
- 19
groundcover
by groundcoverFree plan LinuxSelf-hostedWebgroundcover combines eBPF-based telemetry collection with cloud and on-premises deployment options. Compare the retention, support, and per-host plan details with your monitoring needs.
- 20
Middleware
Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+5Middleware covers a broad set of monitoring and observability products, with a free plan and a usage-billed option. Check the plan limits and retention period against your needs.
- 21
Odigos
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1Odigos brings runtime capture, access controls, and data shaping together in a self-hosted offering.
- 22
DataBuff
Free plan APISelf-hostedWebDataBuff combines OpenTelemetry observability with AI queries, service inspection, and incident analysis.
- 23
Honeybadger
Free plan APIWebHoneybadger combines several production monitoring functions with a free entry plan and a 30-day trial.
- 24
Parca
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1Parca provides self-hosted profile collection and query tools, with web and Grafana visualization options. Before using its Agent, account for the Linux kernel and privileged-access requirements.
- 25
Prometheus
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2Prometheus provides a free monitoring and alerting toolkit with flexible metric collection and querying. Its stated accuracy limitation makes it unsuitable for per-request billing workloads.
#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price
Compare the free plan, starting paid price, trial length, and licence terms before choosing. Check whether a tool provides the monitoring signals you need and whether its deployment options match your environment. If you need to read or change code, verify the open-source licence.
Questions
Do runtime monitoring tools have free plans?
Yes. A free plan is offered by tools in this category, including Airbrake, Apache SkyWalking, and AppSignal. Check limits and terms for the specific tool.
Are open-source runtime monitoring tools available?
Yes. DataBuff is listed as open source, and Apache SkyWalking has a free plan. Review the licence before using or changing code.
Can I try a paid runtime monitoring tool before paying?
Trial periods vary. Airbrake and AppSignal list 30-day trials; BugSnag, Coralogix APM, and Datadog APM list 14-day trials; Dynatrace lists 15 days.
What monitoring features should I compare?
Compare distributed tracing, error tracking, continuous profiling, service maps, real-user monitoring, and log correlation.
What platforms are supported?
The category includes tools for web, API, Linux, Windows, self-hosted, and iOS environments. Confirm the exact platform support for your chosen tool.