Fixed prices. No per-host fees. No event math. No procurement friction.
For solo developers getting started with API tracing.
For small teams shipping fast and needing visibility across all services.
For teams that need scale, compliance, and a dedicated partner.
No cherry-picked metrics. Here's where the differences actually matter.
Want the full pricing math? See Subtrace vs Datadog — including a worked cost example →
| Subtrace | Sentry | Datadog | Honeycomb | Pixie | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/mo | $26/mo (jumps to $80/mo for Business) | $15/host/mo + consumption | $130/mo | Free (open-source only) |
| Trace retention | 7–30 days (plan-based) | Up to 90 days (Business tier) | Configurable, costs extra | Event-based, bill by volume | Tied to New Relic plan |
| Services included | 1–10 (plan-based) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Kubernetes only |
| Code changes required | ✓ OpenTelemetry SDK | Agent install | Agent + heavy config | OTel native | ✗ K8s/eBPF only |
| Kubernetes required? | ✗ Works anywhere | No | No | No | ✓ K8s only |
| Setup time | Minutes | Hours | Days–weeks | Hours–days | Minutes (if on K8s) |
| Pricing predictability | Fixed price | Steep cliff at mid-tier | Billing shocks common | Event math required | Opaque (New Relic) |
| Enterprise contract? | ✗ Self-serve | Custom only | Multi-year typically required | Custom only | Custom (New Relic) |
Sentry is primarily an error tracker — it tells you what broke. SubtraceOS tells you why requests behave the way they do across your entire stack, including the ones that didn't error. We also fill the $26–$80 pricing cliff Sentry leaves open: at $29–$49/mo, you get real tracing value without needing a Business tier license.
No. SubtraceOS instruments via the OpenTelemetry SDK — you add a middleware or library call once, and it handles the rest. No annotation, no manual spans, no refactoring. Works with Express, Fastify, Hono, or any Node.js HTTP framework.
Yes — unlike Pixie or Kubernetes-native tools, SubtraceOS works wherever your services run: VMs, bare metal, Docker, Lambda, any cloud. If it runs Node.js, it works.
We'll notify you before anything is cut off. You can upgrade at any time. We don't silently drop data or charge overages without warning. If you're consistently hitting limits, we'll work with you to find the right plan — not upsell you into a contract.
Enterprise plans include private cloud and on-premises deployment options. Contact us to discuss your infrastructure constraints — we're used to working with compliance-heavy environments.
Yes. Starter and Team plans come with a 14-day free trial — no credit card required. You can request access via email or through the landing page form.