Side by side
Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring vs Prometheus
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.
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
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2
Prometheus 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.
Visit PrometheusThe facts
| Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring | Prometheus | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted, Web | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | grafana.com | prometheus.io |
| On container monitoring | #19 of 51 | #26 of 51 |
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.
Prometheus: what it does well
- Free and open source.
- PromQL queries time-series metrics.
- Targets can be discovered or configured statically.
- Server runs without external dependencies.
- TLS and HTTP Basic Authentication are supported.
What to know first
- Not recommended where data must be 100% accurate.
- Public exposure of component endpoints requires protective measures.
- Security fixes are handled on a best-effort basis.
Alternatives to Grafana Cloud Kubernetes Monitoring Alternatives to Prometheus The whole list