Grafana vs Sentry: 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 Sentry goes after "application monitoring and error tracking" — so the right pick depends on which problem you're actually solving. Both use freemium pricing, but Grafana charges per seat while Sentry charges custom — a meaningful difference for larger teams. Sentry (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 | Sentry | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 88/100 | 85/100 |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Operational dashboards for everyone | Application monitoring and error tracking |
Pricing comparison
Calculate your cost
Feature comparison
core
| Feature | Grafana | Sentry |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics dashboards | Yes | No |
| Alerting | Yes | No |
| Annotations | Yes | No |
| Plugins | Yes | No |
| Templating | Yes | No |
| Error tracking | No | Yes |
| Performance monitoring | No | Team+ |
| Session replay | No | Team+ |
| Release tracking | No | Yes |
| Source maps | No | Yes |
Ratings breakdown
What the data tells us
Key capabilities you'd miss
Choosing Grafana means going without Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Session replay (which Sentry offers). Choosing Sentry 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. Sentry (201-500 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 Sentry 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 Sentry better?
Grafana scores 88/100 compared to Sentry's 85/100 on VendorVS. However, the best choice depends on your needs — Grafana excels at ease of use (7/10) while Sentry scores 8/10.
How much does Grafana cost compared to Sentry?
Grafana starts at free (free tier available). Sentry starts at free (free tier available). Grafana is the more affordable option.
Does Grafana or Sentry have a free plan?
Yes, both Grafana and Sentry offer free tiers, so you can try each before committing to a paid plan.
Related comparisons
See how Grafana and Sentry compare to other developer tools tools.
Datadogvs
GrafanaGrafanavs
New RelicGrafanavs
Twilio
GitLabvsGrafana
CircleCIvsGrafanaGrafanavs
Terraform / HCP TerraformGrafanavs
Pulumi
ContentfulvsGrafana