Best Distributed Tracing Tools in 2026
Updated
In short: SigNoz is ranked #1 of 24 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Honeycomb and Apache SkyWalking. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Honeycomb. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Alibaba Cloud Managed Service for OpenTelemetry at $0.06/mo.
Distributed tracing tools help teams follow requests across services and examine how applications behave. Compare OpenTelemetry support and service maps with tail-based sampling and trace retention to understand the tracing capabilities represented here. Deployment model can inform setup considerations, while free plans, paid-from pricing, and pricing basis help frame costs. Honeycomb, SigNoz, and Grafana Cloud Application Observability are among the options shown, along with Grafana Cloud Traces, Grafana k6, Tracekit, Tracetest, and Uptrace. Think about how you need to collect, inspect, and retain traces, then weigh the listed tracing features and deployment and pricing details against your environment.
24 distributed tracing tools ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 SigNoz iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 9.5$19/mo
- 2 Honeycomb iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.3$150/mo
- 3 Apache SkyWalking No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.1Free
- 4 Jaeger No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.1Free
- 5 Uptrace No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.9$39/mo
- 6 OpenZipkin No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.6Free OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: YesTail-based sampling: No
- 7 Grafana Tempo No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.0 OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: YesTail-based sampling: Yes
- 8 Tracekit No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.0$24/mo OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: Yes
- 9 Grafana Cloud Traces No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9Free OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: YesTail-based sampling: Yes
- 10 Pinpoint No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.7 OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: Yes
- 11 Tracetest No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.5Free OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: Yes
- 12 DataBuff No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4 OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: YesTail-based sampling: Yes
- 13 Hypertrace No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3 OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: YesTail-based sampling: No
- 14 Pixie No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free
- 15 AWS X-Ray No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1 OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: YesTail-based sampling: Yes
- 16 Google Cloud Trace No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1
- 17 Alibaba Cloud Managed Service for OpenTelemetry No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1$0.06/mo OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: Yes
- 18 Hubble No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1Free OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: Yes
- 19 Sematext Tracing No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.9 OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: YesTail-based sampling: No
- 20 AppSignal No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6
- 21 Tencent Cloud Application Performance Management No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6 OpenTelemetry support: YesService map: Yes
- 22 Baselime No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 OpenTelemetry support: Yes
- 23 SolarWinds Observability No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0
- 24 Sentry Performance No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0 OpenTelemetry support: Yes
Compare all 24 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | OpenTelemetry support | Service map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SigNoz | 9.5 | Free plan | $19/mo | Yes | 49 /mo | — | — |
| 2 | Honeycomb | 8.3 | Free plan | $150/mo | Yes | 150 /mo | — | — |
| 3 | Apache SkyWalking | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | Jaeger | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | Uptrace | 7.9 | Free plan | $39/mo | Yes | 39 /mo | — | — |
| 6 | OpenZipkin | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | Grafana Tempo | 7.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Tracekit | 7.0 | Free plan | $24/mo | Yes | 24 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Grafana Cloud Traces | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | 19 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | Pinpoint | 6.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | Tracetest | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | DataBuff | 6.4 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | Hypertrace | 6.3 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 14 | Pixie | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | AWS X-Ray | 6.1 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Google Cloud Trace | 6.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 17 | Alibaba Cloud Managed Service for OpenTelemetry | 6.1 | No | $0.06/mo | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | Hubble | 6.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Sematext Tracing | 5.9 | No | — | No | 17.1 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | AppSignal | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | 23.25 /mo | — | — |
| 21 | Tencent Cloud Application Performance Management | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | Baselime | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 23 | SolarWinds Observability | 5.0 | No | — | No | 5 /mo | — | — |
| 24 | Sentry Performance | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | 26 /mo | Yes | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which distributed tracing tool is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
SigNoz is ranked #1 of 24 with a score of 9.5. Honeycomb is second and Apache SkyWalking third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 24 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Alibaba Cloud Managed Service for OpenTelemetry has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.06/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.