Side by side

Valgrind vs YourKit Java Profiler

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

Valgrind

Free plan AndroidLinuxMac

Valgrind provides a broad set of free tools for memory checks, thread analysis, and profiling. Be prepared to compile from source or use an operating-system download site, and account for substantial slowdowns during analysis.

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YourKit Java Profiler

Free plan APILinuxMac+2

YourKit combines CPU and memory analysis with inspections, database and HTTP visibility, and remote profiling. Confirm the support tier for your target operating system before choosing a license.

Visit YourKit Java Profiler

The facts

	Valgrind	YourKit Java Profiler
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Android, Linux, Mac	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	10
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	valgrind.org	yourkit.com
On profiling software	#17 of 29	#13 of 29

Valgrind: what it does well

Memcheck detects leaks and invalid memory access.
Cachegrind reports cache and instruction data by source line.
Helgrind finds data races.
Developers can build additional instrumentation tools.
Available under GPL version 3.

What to know first

The project distributes source code, not binaries or RPMs.
Programs can run 5–100 times slower.
Memcheck does not bounds-check global or stack arrays.
Volunteer mailing-list answers are not guaranteed.

YourKit Java Profiler: what it does well

CPU profiles include call trees and hotspot lists
Memory views show retained object memory
More than 40 performance inspections
IDE plugins link results to source code
Remote profiling needs SSH access

What to know first

Some operating systems require advanced support
Evaluation license is limited to up to 15 days

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