Side by side
Grafana Beyla vs Mermin
Both stand on ebpf observability tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Linux
Grafana Beyla offers free Linux observability focused on application tracing and network visibility, with Kubernetes support. Its self-hosted model and lack of kernel profiling define the main fit considerations.
Visit Grafana Beyla Paid LinuxSelf-hosted
Mermin offers configurable L3/L4 flow collection for Linux, with Kubernetes metadata and OTLP export. Its kernel, Kubernetes, and privilege requirements—and the physical-interface tunneling gap—are worth checking against your environment.
Visit MerminThe facts
| Grafana Beyla | Mermin | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Not published |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux | Linux, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Not published |
| Plans published | None | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | grafana.com | github.com |
| On ebpf observability tools | #24 of 29 | #28 of 29 |
Grafana Beyla: what it does well
- Free plan available
- Self-hosted deployment model
- Provides application tracing
- Provides network visibility
- Supports Kubernetes
What to know first
- Linux is the supported operating system
- Kernel profiling is not included
- Users manage self-hosted deployment
Mermin: what it does well
- Exports OpenTelemetry Flow Traces over OTLP
- Captures traffic without application changes or sidecars
- Adds Kubernetes metadata to flows
- Configurable filters control captured and exported flows
- Runs as a DaemonSet or privileged bare-metal container
What to know first
- Requires Linux kernel 5.14 or newer
- Kubernetes deployment requires Kubernetes 1.20 or newer
- Requires privileged mode
- Does not provide L7 visibility
Alternatives to Grafana Beyla Alternatives to Mermin The whole list