Best Prometheus Alternatives for 2026: Top 5 Tools Compared

Prometheus is the default choice for cloud-native metrics monitoring. Its pull-based model, PromQL query language, and deep Kubernetes integration make it the foundation of most DevOps observability stacks.

But Prometheus wasn't built to scale indefinitely. Teams hit walls around long-term storage, high-cardinality data, multi-region deployments, and the operational overhead of managing federation. When metrics-only monitoring isn't enough—or when a single-node deployment can't keep up—it's time to evaluate alternatives.

This guide compares five Prometheus alternatives across pricing, scalability, and unified observability capabilities to help you find the right fit for your infrastructure.

Top Alternatives to Prometheus

Several robust alternatives address Prometheus's limitations while offering distinct advantages for different organizational needs and use cases.

Alternative #1—VictoriaMetrics

VictoriaMetrics emerges as the strongest open-source alternative for teams hitting Prometheus performance bottlenecks, offering drop-in compatibility with superior resource efficiency and scalability. This high-performance time-series database was designed to be resource-efficient and broadly compatible with Prometheus's ecosystem while providing a PromQL‑compatible query language (MetricsQL) and easy integration with existing Prometheus tools.

What Does VictoriaMetrics Do

VictoriaMetrics provides a complete metrics monitoring solution that handles data ingestion, storage, and querying at a massive scale. It serves as a direct replacement for Prometheus's storage backend while supporting the same query language, APIs, and integrations. The platform excels at handling high-cardinality metrics that typically overwhelm single-node Prometheus deployments.

VictoriaMetrics Differentiators

• Superior storage efficiency: Uses 70-80% less RAM and disk space compared to Prometheus through advanced compression algorithms
• Drop-in compatibility: Full PromQL support with MetricsQL extensions for advanced analytics
• Single binary deployment: Maintains operational simplicity, unlike complex federation solutions
• High-cardinality optimization: Handles billions of unique time series without memory explosions
• Cost predictability: Charges for compute resources rather than sample volume or cardinality

VictoriaMetrics Pros

• Seamless migration from Prometheus using remote_write/read protocols
• Significantly improved query performance for large datasets
• Native Grafana integration maintains existing dashboards
• Open-source with commercial support options available
• Scales vertically and horizontally without operational complexity

VictoriaMetrics Pricing

• Open Source: Free community version with full functionality
• VictoriaMetrics Cloud: Starting at $190/month (Starter Tier); scales with compute and storage
• Enterprise: Commercial licensing with professional support available

How VictoriaMetrics Works with Siit

VictoriaMetrics handles metrics collection and storage. Siit handles the operational requests around your monitoring infrastructure. When engineers need access to Grafana dashboards, credentials for a metrics endpoint, or permissions to configure alerting rules, Siit picks up the request in Slack, routes approval to the right manager, and provisions access through your identity provider. No chasing down IT in side threads.

Alternative #2—Datadog

Datadog represents the premium all-in-one observability platform, providing comprehensive monitoring that extends far beyond Prometheus's metrics-only focus to include APM, logs, security monitoring, and real-user monitoring in a unified SaaS solution.

What Does Datadog Do

Datadog delivers full-stack observability through a cloud-native platform that monitors applications, infrastructure, logs, and user experience. Unlike Prometheus's pull-based metrics collection, Datadog uses agents that push data to their cloud platform, providing real-time insights with AI-powered analytics and correlation across all telemetry types.

Datadog Differentiators

• Unified observability: Metrics, traces, logs, and RUM in a single platform eliminates tool fragmentation
• AI-powered insights: Machine learning algorithms reduce false positives and provide predictive analytics
• Push-based architecture: Better suited for dynamic cloud environments and firewall-protected networks
• Pre-built integrations: 700+ out-of-box integrations with automatic dashboard and alert creation
• No infrastructure management: Fully managed SaaS eliminates operational overhead

Datadog Pros

• Comprehensive feature set reduces need for multiple monitoring tools
• Excellent user interface and visualization capabilities
• Strong correlation between different data types for faster troubleshooting
• Enterprise-grade security and compliance features
• Extensive API and automation capabilities

How Datadog Works with Siit

Datadog monitors your infrastructure and applications. Siit handles the operational requests that monitoring generates. When engineers need access to Datadog dashboards, API keys for integrations, or permissions to configure monitors, Siit routes the request through Slack, coordinates approval with IT, and provisions access through your identity provider. No direct integration—Siit handles the access layer while Datadog handles observability.

Datadog Pricing

• Infrastructure Monitoring: $15/host/month
• APM: $31/host/month
• Log Management: $0.10/GB ingested
• Security Monitoring: $0.20-$0.60/GB analyzed
• Free Trial: 14 days with up to 5 hosts free permanently

Alternative #3—New Relic

New Relic focuses on application performance monitoring excellence, offering enterprise-grade observability with simplified pricing and strong OpenTelemetry integration for organizations prioritizing application-layer insights over pure infrastructure metrics.

What Does New Relic Do

New Relic provides comprehensive application performance monitoring with deep code-level insights, distributed tracing, and error analysis. The platform excels at helping development teams understand application behavior, identify performance bottlenecks, and optimize user experience across complex distributed systems.

New Relic Differentiators

• Best-in-class APM: Superior application performance monitoring with code-level visibility
• Simplified pricing model: Per-GB ingested plus per-user structure eliminates surprise costs
• OpenTelemetry leadership: Strong commitment to open standards for future-proofing
• Advanced alerting system: AI-enhanced alerts with root cause analysis and automated routing
• Real user monitoring: End-to-end visibility from infrastructure to user experience

New Relic Pros

• Deep application insights that Prometheus cannot provide
• Sophisticated alerting reduces noise and improves incident response
• Strong integration ecosystem with modern development tools
• Excellent mobile and browser monitoring capabilities
• Comprehensive security and compliance certifications

New Relic Pricing

• Free Tier: 100GB/month data ingest, 1 full platform user, unlimited basic users
• Standard: $10 first user, $99 per additional user (up to 5); $0.30/GB beyond free tier
• Pro: $349/user/year with advanced features; $0.50/GB for Data Plus
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for large organizations

How New Relic Works with Siit

New Relic surfaces application performance issues. Siit handles the operational follow-up. When employees report slowdowns or errors through Slack, Siit routes the ticket to the right team while IT references New Relic traces and logs to diagnose the root cause. Siit coordinates approvals if fixes require infrastructure changes, and keeps the employee updated in the same thread. No direct integration required—just faster resolution with less manual coordination.

Alternative #4—SigNoz

SigNoz provides an open-source, OpenTelemetry-native observability platform that unifies metrics, traces, and logs while maintaining cost efficiency and avoiding vendor lock-in concerns that accompany commercial alternatives.

What Does SigNoz Do

SigNoz offers full-stack observability through a single platform that natively supports OpenTelemetry protocols for metrics, traces, and logs collection. Built on ClickHouse for high-performance queries, it provides comprehensive monitoring without the complexity of managing separate tools for different telemetry types.

SigNoz Differentiators

• OpenTelemetry-native: Built specifically for OpenTelemetry standards from the ground up
• Unified observability: Single query interface for metrics, traces, and logs eliminates context switching
• Cost-effective scaling: ClickHouse backend provides efficient storage and querying at scale
• No vendor lock-in: Open-source foundation with standard protocols ensures data portability
• Root cause analysis: Built-in correlation between metrics, traces, and logs accelerates troubleshooting

SigNoz Pros

• Significantly lower total cost of ownership compared to commercial alternatives
• Modern architecture designed for cloud-native environments
• Active development community and responsive support
• Flexible deployment options from self-hosted to managed cloud
• Integration with existing OpenTelemetry instrumentation

SigNoz Pricing

• Open Source: Free self-hosted deployment
• Teams Cloud: $49/month base; $0.30/GB logs and traces, $0.10/million metric samples
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with SSO, data residency, and dedicated support

How SigNoz Works with Siit

SigNoz provides unified observability across metrics, traces, and logs. Siit handles the service requests that observability surfaces. When an engineer needs access to SigNoz dashboards, credentials for a traced service, or permissions to modify alerting rules, Siit routes the request through Slack, coordinates approval, and provisions access through your identity provider. IT keeps visibility without becoming a bottleneck.

Alternative #5—Grafana Cloud

Grafana Cloud represents the managed evolution of the popular visualization platform, now offering horizontally scalable Prometheus storage through Mimir alongside integrated logging and tracing capabilities for teams already invested in the Grafana ecosystem.

What Does Grafana Cloud Do

Grafana Cloud provides a fully managed observability stack combining Grafana dashboards, Prometheus-compatible metrics storage via Mimir, log aggregation through Loki, and distributed tracing with Tempo. This eliminates the operational complexity of self-hosted Grafana while maintaining the flexibility and power users expect.

Grafana Cloud Differentiators

• Managed Prometheus evolution: Horizontal scaling without complex federation setup
• Ecosystem continuity: Maintains existing Grafana dashboards and workflows
• Integrated stack: Metrics, logs, and traces work together seamlessly
• Open source foundation: No vendor lock-in with standard APIs and formats
• Global scale: Multi-region deployments with high availability

Grafana Cloud Pros

• Eliminates operational overhead of self-hosted Grafana deployments
• Full PromQL compatibility ensures smooth migration from Prometheus
• Integrated alerting with PagerDuty, Slack, and Teams notifications
• Extensive plugin ecosystem and community support
• Flexible pricing that scales with usage

Grafana Cloud Pricing

• Free Tier: 10K active series, 50GB logs, 50GB traces, 3 users, 14-day retention
• Pro: $19/month base plus usage-based billing
• Enterprise: $25,000/year minimum commitment with volume discounts

How Grafana Cloud Works with Siit

Grafana Cloud handles visualization and alerting. Siit handles the access and operational requests around it. When team members need dashboard access, permissions to edit alerting rules, or credentials for connected data sources, Siit routes the request through Slack or Teams, coordinates manager approval, and provisions access through Okta or Google Workspace. Engineers get unblocked faster while IT maintains audit trails.

How Siit Fits Into Your Monitoring Stack

Your observability tools detect issues. Siit handles the operational follow-up. When engineers need access to dashboards, credentials for monitored services, or permissions to configure alerting, Siit routes those requests through Slack or Teams, coordinates approval with IT, and provisions access through Okta, Google Workspace, or JumpCloud.

Siit doesn't replace your monitoring stack. It eliminates the manual coordination that slows down incident response and access requests, so IT keeps visibility without becoming a bottleneck.

Book a demo to see how Siit works alongside your DevOps tools.