vioscaleAI
Comparison

Apache SkyWalking vs Google Cloud Trace

On the evidence we track, Apache SkyWalking leads this comparison with a composite score of 53/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Apache SkyWalking full profile →Google Cloud Trace full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Apache SkyWalking53
Google Cloud Trace47
Score
vioscaleAI score
Apache SkyWalking53 / 100medium · 55%
Google Cloud Trace47 / 100low · 41%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace✓
Model
Apache SkyWalkingopen_source
Google Cloud Tracefreemium
Price level
Apache SkyWalkingfree
Google Cloud Tracelow
Transparent
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace✗
Integrations
Count
Apache SkyWalking18
Google Cloud Trace–
Security
Scorecard
Apache SkyWalking7
Google Cloud Trace–
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
Apache SkyWalking–
Google Cloud Trace✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache SkyWalking106
Google Cloud Trace–
Github stars
Apache SkyWalking24,968
Google Cloud Trace–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache SkyWalking21
Google Cloud Trace–
Release
Cadence days
Apache SkyWalking93
Google Cloud Trace–
History
Apache SkyWalking20 items
Google Cloud Trace–
License
Spdx
Apache SkyWalkingApache-2.0
Google Cloud Trace–
Language
Primary
Apache SkyWalkingJava
Google Cloud Trace–
Content
Faq
Apache SkyWalking6 items
Google Cloud Trace3 items

Capabilities

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

Instrumentation
Auto-instrumentation
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace-
Distributed tracing
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace✓
Insight
Service map
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace-
Code / continuous profiling
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace-
Database monitoring
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace-
Error analytics
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace-
Real-user monitoring
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace-
SLO / error-budget tracking
Apache SkyWalking-
Google Cloud Trace-
Intelligence
Anomaly / root-cause AI
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace-
Standards
OpenTelemetry support
Apache SkyWalkingOTLP ingest
Google Cloud TraceOTel-native
Core
Language agents
Apache SkyWalking10+ language agents supported
Google Cloud TraceNode.js, Go, Java, Python
Deployment
Hosting
Apache SkyWalkingCloud + self-hosted
Google Cloud TraceCloud only

What each one is

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

Apache SkyWalking

Leader

An open-source system for monitoring and analyzing distributed applications with comprehensive tracing, service topology visualization, and multi-signal observability for microservices and AI workloads.

Independently observed

Google Cloud Trace

Not documented yet.

Pricing

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

Apache SkyWalking

Leader
Open source
as of verify ↗

Google Cloud Trace

Usage-basedFree tier

Free tier with $300 in free credit; pay-as-you-go usage-based pricing

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✓
Google Cloud Trace✓
Linux
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace✗
CLI
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace✓
Self-hosted
Apache SkyWalking✓
Google Cloud Trace✗

Integrations

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

Apache SkyWalking

Leader
33 total
  • Apache APISIX
  • Grafana
  • OpenTelemetry Collector
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • OpenAI
  • WeChat Mini Program
  • Alipay Mini Program
  • Kafka
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • Envoy
  • DeepSeek
  • Claude Sonnet
  • Zipkin
  • OpenTelemetry
  • Prometheus
  • Zabbix
  • Fluentd
  • Flink
  • Kong
  • Apache RocketMQ
  • Apache ActiveMQ
  • Pulsar
  • +9 more
Independently observed

Google Cloud Trace

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

Apache SkyWalking or Google Cloud Trace: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

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