New Relic vs PagerDuty: Full Comparison (2026)
Pricing, features, scores, and a clear verdict on which one is right for you.
The bottom line
New Relic positions itself as "all-in-one observability with generous free tier" while PagerDuty goes after "digital operations management" — so the right pick depends on which problem you're actually solving. They take different commercial approaches — New Relic uses a usage-based-based model and PagerDuty a freemium approach, which affects how costs scale as your team grows.
At a glance
| New Relic | PagerDuty | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 80/100 | 85/100 |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | All-in-one observability with generous free tier | Digital operations management |
Pricing comparison
Calculate your cost
Feature comparison
core
| Feature | New Relic | PagerDuty |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure monitoring | Yes | No |
| APM/tracing | Yes | No |
| Log management | Yes | No |
| Synthetic monitoring | Yes | No |
| Dashboards | Yes | No |
| On-call scheduling | No | Yes |
| Alert routing | No | Yes |
| Escalation policies | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Multi-channel notifications | No | Yes |
Ratings breakdown
What the data tells us
Key capabilities you'd miss
Choosing New Relic means going without On-call scheduling, Alert routing, Escalation policies (which PagerDuty offers). Choosing PagerDuty means losing Infrastructure monitoring, APM/tracing, Log management. 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
PagerDuty (1001-5000 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 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
Choose PagerDuty if...
- You want a free tier to get started
- You value an intuitive, easy-to-use interface
- You need enterprise-grade capabilities
Frequently asked questions
Is New Relic or PagerDuty better?
PagerDuty scores 85/100 compared to New Relic's 80/100 on VendorVS. However, the best choice depends on your needs — New Relic excels at ease of use (8/10) while PagerDuty scores 8/10.
How much does New Relic cost compared to PagerDuty?
New Relic starts at free (free tier available). PagerDuty starts at free (free tier available). New Relic is the more affordable option.
Does New Relic or PagerDuty have a free plan?
Yes, both New Relic and PagerDuty offer free tiers, so you can try each before committing to a paid plan.
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