vioscale
Comparison

Apache SkyWalking vs Blackfire

On the evidence we track, Blackfire leads this comparison with a composite score of 64/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Apache SkyWalking full profile →Blackfire full profile →
Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Apache SkyWalking53
★Blackfire64
Score
Vioscale score
Apache SkyWalking53 / 100medium · 54%updating
Blackfire64 / 100medium · 72%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✗
Model
Apache SkyWalkingopen_source
Blackfirecommercial
Price level
Apache SkyWalkingfree
Blackfiremid
Transparent
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
Integrations
Count
Apache SkyWalking14
Blackfire6
Security
Disclosure policy
Apache SkyWalking–
Blackfire✓
Hipaa
Apache SkyWalking–
Blackfire✓
Iso27001
Apache SkyWalking–
Blackfire✓
Pci
Apache SkyWalking–
Blackfire✓
Scorecard
Apache SkyWalking7
Blackfire–
Soc2
Apache SkyWalking–
Blackfire✓
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
Apache SkyWalking–
Blackfire✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache SkyWalking106
Blackfire–
Github stars
Apache SkyWalking24,930
Blackfire–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache SkyWalking20
Blackfire–
Release
Cadence days
Apache SkyWalking89
Blackfire–
History
Apache SkyWalking20 items
Blackfire–
License
Spdx
Apache SkyWalkingApache-2.0
Blackfire–
Language
Primary
Apache SkyWalkingJava
Blackfire–

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for apm tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Instrumentation
Auto-instrumentation
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
Distributed tracing
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
Insight
Service map
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire-
Code / continuous profiling
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
Database monitoring
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
Error analytics
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire-
Real-user monitoring
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
SLO / error-budget tracking
Apache SkyWalking-
Blackfire-
Intelligence
Anomaly / root-cause AI
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire-
Standards
OpenTelemetry support
Apache SkyWalkingOTLP ingest
Blackfire-
Core
Language agents
Apache SkyWalking10+ language agents supported
BlackfirePHP, Python
Deployment
Hosting
Apache SkyWalkingCloud + self-hosted
BlackfireCloud only

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache SkyWalking

An open-source observability platform combining distributed tracing, metrics, logs, and profiling in one interface. Provides automatic instrumentation across 10+ languages, interactive service topology visualization, database monitoring, and an AI assistant for answering observability questions in natural language.

Independently observed

Blackfire

Leader

Blackfire is an Application Performance Management platform offering both monitoring and profiling solutions for PHP and Python applications. It helps teams identify performance bottlenecks, optimize code, and prevent production crises with automated profiling and actionable recommendations.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache SkyWalking

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Blackfire

Leader
from €33.25/moSubscription

From €33.25/month (Development, annual) to €158.25/month (Production, annual with 2 months free). Demo environment available; free plan for GitHub Student Developer Pack members.

  • Production€158.25/month billed yearly (2 months free) or €189.90/month
    • Profiling
    • Performance Monitoring
    • Continuous Profiling
    • Alerting
    • Continuous Testing
    • +16 more
  • Development€33.25/month billed yearly (yearly only)
    • Profiling
    • Manual assertions
    • Upsun integration
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
CLI
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✓
Self-hosted
Apache SkyWalking✓
Blackfire✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Apache SkyWalking

14 total
  • Apache APISIX
  • Grafana
  • OpenTelemetry Collector
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • OpenAI
  • WeChat Mini Program
  • Alipay Mini Program
  • Kafka
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • Envoy
  • DeepSeek
  • Claude Sonnet
Independently observed

Blackfire

Leader
6 total
  • PHPUnit
  • Symfony Functional Tests
  • Behat
  • GitHub Education
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Upsun
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.