AppBreakup
Submit an app

Grafana alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Grafana: self-hosting Loki, Tempo and Mimir at scale is real work, and building good dashboards takes time and query knowledge. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Grafana, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Datadog currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Netdata logoNetdataOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted, Linux +24 of 459.6
2VictoriaMetrics logoVictoriaMetricsOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS +14 of 457.2
  1. Netdata logo

    1. NetdataTop pick

    Best for: Sysadmins and homelab users who want instant, detailed server metrics with no setup

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Grafana

    Instant per-second dashboards with almost no configuration.

    Pros

    • Works out of the box with automatic service detection
    • Per-second resolution metrics
    • Built-in anomaly detection and alerts

    Cons

    • Less suited to long-term retention and capacity planning
    • Many charts can feel overwhelming
    • Cloud free tier is limited to a few non-commercial nodes
    Visit Netdata Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Netdata a good Grafana alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    GPL-3.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier
    Up to 5 nodes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026netdata.cloud(opens source in a new tab)
    Paid price
    From $4.50 per node
    Checked Oct 25, 2026netdata.cloud(opens source in a new tab)
    Homelab plan
    $90/year, unlimited nodes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026netdata.cloud(opens source in a new tab)
  2. VictoriaMetrics logo

    2. VictoriaMetrics

    Best for: Teams outgrowing Prometheus who want cheaper long-term metrics storage

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Grafana

    A cheaper, faster metrics backend that still works with Grafana dashboards.

    Pros

    • Uses far less memory and disk than many alternatives
    • Drop-in compatible with Prometheus and Grafana
    • Simple single-binary option, cluster when needed

    Cons

    • Some features are enterprise-only
    • MetricsQL extensions can reduce portability
    • Logs and traces products are newer
    Visit VictoriaMetrics Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is VictoriaMetrics a good Grafana alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud price
    From $200/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026victoriametrics.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud free trial
    30 days
    Checked Oct 25, 2026victoriametrics.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Editions
    Open source and enterprise
    Checked Oct 25, 2026victoriametrics.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Grafana alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Datadog logo

Best Grafana alternative for most people

Datadog

Fully managed and integrated, so there are no stack components to wire together.

SigNoz logo

Best Grafana alternative for a free option

SigNoz

One open-source app for metrics, traces and logs instead of several separate projects.

New Relic logo

Best Grafana alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

New Relic

Hosted full-stack APM with a large free data allowance and less to maintain.

Netdata logo

Best Grafana alternative for open source

Netdata

Instant per-second dashboards with almost no configuration.

VictoriaMetrics logo

Best Grafana alternative for self-hosting

VictoriaMetrics

A cheaper, faster metrics backend that still works with Grafana dashboards.

Netdata logo

Best Grafana alternative for Mac

Netdata

Instant per-second dashboards with almost no configuration.

Netdata logo

Best Grafana alternative for Windows

Netdata

Instant per-second dashboards with almost no configuration.

Netdata logo

Best Grafana alternative for Linux

Netdata

Instant per-second dashboards with almost no configuration.

Datadog logo

Best Grafana alternative for iPhone and Android

Datadog

Fully managed and integrated, so there are no stack components to wire together.

OpenObserve logo

Best Grafana alternative for working in the browser

OpenObserve

Single self-hosted binary for logs, metrics and traces with low storage costs.

Grafana alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Grafana?

Datadog ranks first right now. Fully managed and integrated, so there are no stack components to wire together. SigNoz and Netdata follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Grafana?

Yes. Datadog (free plan + paid), SigNoz (open source), Netdata (open source) and VictoriaMetrics (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Grafana?

Yes: SigNoz, Netdata, VictoriaMetrics and OpenObserve. SigNoz, Netdata and VictoriaMetrics can also be self-hosted.

Which Grafana alternatives work on Linux?

Netdata and VictoriaMetrics run on Linux.

Why do people switch from Grafana?

The complaints we hear most: self-hosting Loki, Tempo and Mimir at scale is real work; building good dashboards takes time and query knowledge; cloud usage pricing has many meters to track.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Grafana, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.