# Google Cloud Trace vs Pyroscope

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Pyroscope

| Attribute | Google Cloud Trace | Pyroscope |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 47.1 (41% (low)) | 61.6 (59% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Google Cloud Trace offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/php/docs/reference/cloud-sql-admin/0.4.1/V1beta4.SqlPricingPlan","question":"Is Google Cloud Trace free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Google Cloud Trace supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/php/docs/reference/cloud-sql-admin/0.4.1/V1beta4.SqlPricingPlan","question":"What platforms does Google Cloud Trace support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Google Cloud Trace, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/php/docs/reference/cloud-sql-admin/0.4.1/V1beta4.SqlPricingPlan","question":"Can Google Cloud Trace be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"Observability service providing visibility into infrastructure usage and costs, including tracking of artificial intelligence tool consumption for billing purposes. It is indexed under APM Tools.","source":"https://grafana.com/oss/pyroscope/","question":"What is Pyroscope?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pyroscope offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $0.05. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://grafana.com/oss/pyroscope/","question":"Is Pyroscope free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pyroscope supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://grafana.com/oss/pyroscope/","question":"What platforms does Pyroscope support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Pyroscope, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://grafana.com/oss/pyroscope/","question":"Can Pyroscope be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for Pyroscope. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Pyroscope not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://trust.grafana.com","question":"What security certifications does Pyroscope have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | - | Observability service providing visibility into infrastructure usage and costs, including tracking of artificial intelligence tool consumption for billing purposes. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"cloud","languages":"Node.js, Go, Java, Python","otel_support":"native","distributed_tracing":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","code_profiling":true,"distributed_tracing":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 1 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Grafana"}]` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","summary":"Free tier with $300 in free credit; pay-as-you-go usage-based pricing","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://cloud.google.com/php/docs/reference/cloud-sql-admin/0.4.1/V1beta4.SqlPricingPlan","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T18:16:29.557Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"$0/month","features":["All Grafana Cloud services with limited usage","Community support","14 days retention for metrics, logs, traces, profiles, & k6 performance tests"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Always free, perfect for personal projects and early-stage startups","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"From $19/month + usage with volume discounts","features":["Pay as you go above Free tier","8×5 email support","13 months retention for metrics; 30 days retention for logs, traces, profiles, & k6 performance tests"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":19,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.05,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Self-serve pay-as-you-go with volume discounts","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"From $25,000/year","features":["Premium support","Custom retention","Deployment flexibility (Public Cloud, Federal Cloud, Bring Your Own Cloud)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":25000,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Full-service for companies with security, compliance, and deployment requirements","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier with $0 cost. Pro from $19/month + usage. Enterprise from $25,000/year.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://grafana.com/oss/pyroscope/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T13:12:09.793Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0.05,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | unknown |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.fedramp | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://grafana.com/security/hall-of-fame/issue_35/ |

## Capabilities (APM Tools)

| Capability | Google Cloud Trace | Pyroscope |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Instrumentation** |  |  |
| Auto-instrumentation | - | - |
| Distributed tracing | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Insight** |  |  |
| Service map | - | - |
| Code / continuous profiling | - | ✓ |
| Database monitoring | - | - |
| Error analytics | - | - |
| Real-user monitoring | - | - |
| SLO / error-budget tracking | - | - |
| **Intelligence** |  |  |
| Anomaly / root-cause AI | - | - |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OpenTelemetry support | OTel-native | - |
| **Core** |  |  |
| Language agents | Node.js, Go, Java, Python | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud only | Cloud + self-hosted |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:12:34.780Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*