Grafana Tempo vs OpenTelemetry
On the evidence we track, OpenTelemetry leads this comparison with a composite score of 71/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.
Capabilities
Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for distributed tracing tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
Grafana Tempo
Grafana Tempo is an open-source distributed tracing backend designed for high-scale trace collection using only object storage, integrating with Grafana, Prometheus, and Loki. It supports industry-standard tracing protocols and eliminates the need for expensive database infrastructure.
OpenTelemetry
LeaderA standardized platform for instrumenting applications to collect traces, metrics, and logs. Data is collected through language-specific SDKs and services, then exported to any observability backend without requiring application code changes.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
Grafana Tempo
Open source (free). Grafana Cloud integration from $19/month or $25k/year enterprise.
- Open SourceFree
- Grafana Cloud Pro$19/mo
- Platform fee includes limited trace retention and usage
- 30 days retention for traces
- 8x5 email support
- Grafana Cloud EnterpriseContact sales
- Custom retention
- Premium support
- Deployment flexibility (Public Cloud, Federal Cloud, Bring Your Own Cloud)
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
- Prometheus
- Jaeger
- Zipkin
Grafana Tempo
- Grafana
- Loki
- OpenTelemetry
- OpenCensus
OpenTelemetry
Leader- Jaeger
- Prometheus
- Zipkin
Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.