Side by side

Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring vs Middleware

Both stand on container monitoring. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring

Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWeb

Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring combines fleet visibility, alerts, and cost estimates in a cloud-only service. Check the setup requirements and separate telemetry charges when planning its use.

Visit Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring

Middleware

Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+5

Middleware 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.

Visit Middleware

The facts

	Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring	Middleware
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	No
Runs on	Linux, Self-hosted, Web	Android, API, Extension, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Pay As You Go: $0.30 a month
Plans published	3	3
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	grafana.com	middleware.io
On container monitoring	#16 of 44	#19 of 44

Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring: what it does well

Free plan includes monthly host and container hours.
Views cost allocations across clusters and workloads.
Collects Kubernetes metrics, events, and Pod logs.
Supports several Kubernetes platforms, including EKS and AKS.

What to know first

Available only in Grafana Cloud.
Supports only data sources hosted in Grafana Cloud.
Telemetry from other products is billed separately.

Middleware: what it does well

Free Forever includes up to 100GB of data.
Lists 450+ built-in integrations.
Includes distributed tracing and real-user monitoring.
States encryption at rest and in transit.

What to know first

Free tier data retention is 14 days.
Free Forever support is community based.
Pay As You Go is billed based on usage.

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