Side by side
OpenTelemetry eBPF Profiler vs Pixie
Both stand on continuous profiling tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose it if you need self-hosted, whole-system Linux profiling across native code and multiple runtimes without modifying the profiled applications. Look elsewhere if you require a supported standalone agent, a mature production-ready backend, or native macOS or Windows operation.
Visit OpenTelemetry eBPF Profiler
Pixie provides Kubernetes telemetry collection and script-based debugging, with both hosted and self-hosted deployment options. Check its Kubernetes and Linux requirements, unsupported environments and privileged-access requirement before choosing it.
Visit PixieThe facts
| OpenTelemetry eBPF Profiler | Pixie | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted | Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | px.dev |
| On continuous profiling tools | #15 of 30 | #11 of 30 |
OpenTelemetry eBPF Profiler: what it does well
- Profiles native code and many language runtimes.
- Stack traces span kernel, system libraries, and high-level languages.
- Does not load agents or libraries into profiled processes.
- No runtime instrumentation or interpreter and VM restarts required.
- Project reports tested ceilings of 1% CPU and 250 MB memory.
What to know first
- Linux-only; macOS and Windows require a Linux VM.
- Recent commits may require Linux kernel 5.10 or later.
- Standalone binaries are unsupported and unsuitable for production.
- The Profiles signal implementation is still evolving.
Pixie: what it does well
- Collects metrics, events, traces and logs without code changes.
- Supports custom debugging scripts and shared sessions.
- Offers hosted and self-hosted deployments.
- Free hosted versions are listed.
What to know first
- Requires Kubernetes v1.21 or later and Linux nodes.
- BPF-installing pods need privileged kernel access.
- EKS Fargate, GKE Autopilot, Docker Desktop, k3d, kind and Windows are unsupported.
Alternatives to OpenTelemetry eBPF Profiler Alternatives to Pixie The whole list