# New Relic vs OpenObserve (2026): Free Alternative to New Relic

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/vs/new-relic-vs-openobserve
Last updated: 2026-08-14

Compare New Relic (paid SaaS) vs OpenObserve ($0/mo open source AGPL-3.0 alternative to New Relic). Side-by-side breakdown of pricing, self-hosting setup, data storage, and practical trade-offs.

## Side-by-Side Comparison Matrix

| Feature / Metric | New Relic | OpenObserve |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | Paid | $0.00 / month |
| 1-Seat Annual Cost | Paid | $0.00 / year |
| 5-Person Team Annual Cost | Paid | $0.00 / year |
| 10-Person Team Annual Cost | Paid | $0.00 / year |
| License Model | Proprietary Commercial SaaS | AGPL-3.0 |
| Hosting / Runtime | Vendor Cloud | Local or hosted |
| Data Ownership | Stored on vendor servers | Telemetry is stored as Apache Parquet on local disk or object storage; single-node metadata defaults to SQLite, while HA uses PostgreSQL and NATS. |
| GitHub Stars | Closed Source | ★ 21k |
| Code Repository | None | https://github.com/openobserve/openobserve |
| The Catch / Trade-off | Recurring subscription cost | It handles the core signals, but it lacks New Relic's mature application agents, browser and mobile telemetry, entity inventory, and managed-scale experience. |

## About OpenObserve
A single-binary observability stack that remembers storage is not free.

- **Installation**: Hosted signup, or a single binary/Docker container; Helm plus external services for HA
- **Setup Notes**: The easy single-node path still needs collectors and persistent storage; production HA adds Kubernetes, object storage, PostgreSQL, and NATS.
- **Data Storage**: Telemetry is stored as Apache Parquet on local disk or object storage; single-node metadata defaults to SQLite, while HA uses PostgreSQL and NATS.
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, docker to self-host
- **The Catch vs New Relic**: It handles the core signals, but it lacks New Relic's mature application agents, browser and mobile telemetry, entity inventory, and managed-scale experience.

## Cost Savings Breakdown
Switching from New Relic to OpenObserve replaces paid vendor billing with a $0/mo free or open source solution.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is OpenObserve a good free alternative to New Relic?
Yes. OpenObserve is a verified open source (AGPL-3.0) replacement for New Relic. A single-binary observability stack that remembers storage is not free.

### What is the catch when switching from New Relic to OpenObserve?
It handles the core signals, but it lacks New Relic's mature application agents, browser and mobile telemetry, entity inventory, and managed-scale experience.

## Related

- [All New Relic Alternatives](https://caniforkit.com/new-relic)
- [OpenObserve Full Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/openobserve)
- [monitoring Category Hub](https://caniforkit.com/category/monitoring)
- [All Paid SaaS Alternatives Index](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)