Grafana vs New Relic: Full Comparison (2026)
Pricing, features, scores, and a clear verdict on which one is right for you.
The bottom line
Grafana positions itself as "operational dashboards for everyone" while New Relic goes after "all-in-one observability with generous free tier" — so the right pick depends on which problem you're actually solving. They take different commercial approaches — Grafana uses a freemium approach and New Relic a usage-based-based model, which affects how costs scale as your team grows. New Relic (founded 2008) has had more time to build out its ecosystem and integrations, while Grafana (2014) tends to move faster on modern UX and newer workflows.
At a glance
| Grafana | New Relic | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 88/100 | 80/100 |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Operational dashboards for everyone | All-in-one observability with generous free tier |
Pricing comparison
Calculate your cost
Feature comparison
core
| Feature | Grafana | New Relic |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics dashboards | Yes | No |
| Alerting | Yes | No |
| Annotations | Yes | No |
| Plugins | Yes | No |
| Templating | Yes | No |
| Infrastructure monitoring | No | Yes |
| APM/tracing | No | Yes |
| Log management | No | Yes |
| Synthetic monitoring | No | Yes |
| Dashboards | No | Yes |
Ratings breakdown
What the data tells us
Key capabilities you'd miss
Choosing Grafana means going without Infrastructure monitoring, APM/tracing, Log management (which New Relic offers). Choosing New Relic means losing Metrics dashboards, Alerting, Annotations. These are the features that typically drive the final decision — check whether your workflow depends on any of them before committing.
What company size tells you
Grafana (501-1000 employees) has the engineering bench to ship features across many fronts but may iterate slower on individual requests. New Relic (1,000+ employees) typically ships faster on its core product but may lag on peripheral features. Consider which matters more for your roadmap.
Choose Grafana if...
- You want a free tier to get started
- You value powerful features over simplicity
- Getting strong value for money is a priority
Choose New Relic if...
- You want a free tier to get started
- You value an intuitive, easy-to-use interface
- Getting strong value for money is a priority
Frequently asked questions
Is Grafana or New Relic better?
Grafana scores 88/100 compared to New Relic's 80/100 on VendorVS. However, the best choice depends on your needs — Grafana excels at ease of use (7/10) while New Relic scores 8/10.
How much does Grafana cost compared to New Relic?
Grafana starts at free (free tier available). New Relic starts at free (free tier available). Grafana is the more affordable option.
Does Grafana or New Relic have a free plan?
Yes, both Grafana and New Relic offer free tiers, so you can try each before committing to a paid plan.
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