New Relic wants a subscription.
These cost $0.
4 free alternatives to New Relic, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
New Relic vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs paid
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenObserve | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Local or hosted | ★ 21k | New Relic vs OpenObserve → |
| HyperDX | open source | — | — | ★ 9.8k | New Relic vs HyperDX → |
| Coroot | open source | Apache-2.0 | Self-host | ★ 7.9k | New Relic vs Coroot → |
| OneUptime | open source | Apache-2.0 | Local or hosted | ★ 7.4k | New Relic vs OneUptime → |
The picks
4 open source · ranked by fit
- 01
OpenObserve
open sourceAGPL-3.0Local or hosted21kaug 2026A single-binary observability stack that remembers storage is not free.
The catch vs New RelicIt handles the core signals, but it lacks New Relic's mature application agents, browser and mobile telemetry, entity inventory, and managed-scale experience.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Hosted signup, or a single binary/Docker container; Helm plus external services for HA
- setup
- The easy single-node path still needs collectors and persistent storage; production HA adds Kubernetes, object storage, PostgreSQL, and NATS.
- your data
- Telemetry is stored as Apache Parquet on local disk or object storage; single-node metadata defaults to SQLite, while HA uses PostgreSQL and NATS.
- checked
- 2026-08-14
- 02
HyperDX
open source9.8kaug 2026Logs, traces, metrics, errors and replay in one ClickHouse-backed stack.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- 03
Coroot
open sourceApache-2.0Self-host7.9kaug 2026eBPF observability with opinions; best when your apps live in containers.
The catch vs New RelicIts automatic eBPF view is compelling for containers, but it lacks New Relic's broad language agents, browser and mobile monitoring, entity model, and managed integrations.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- install
- Docker Compose for one host, or the Kubernetes Operator/Helm for a cluster
- setup
- The eBPF node agent needs a supported Linux kernel and privileged host access on every node, and the product is most natural for containers and Kubernetes.
- engines
- Core observability is non-AI; optional root-cause investigations connect to Coroot Cloud or configured Anthropic, OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Groq, Mistral, Ollama, or OpenAI-compatible endpoints.
- your data
- Metrics use Prometheus-compatible storage or ClickHouse, while logs, traces, and profiles use ClickHouse; configuration uses SQLite by default or PostgreSQL.
- checked
- 2026-08-14
- 04
OneUptime
open sourceApache-2.0Local or hosted7.4kaug 2026Monitoring, incidents and status pages in one stack; simplicity did not survive.
The catch vs New RelicIt offers a broad suite, but operating the stack is substantial work and its APM agents, entity correlations, and ecosystem are less mature than New Relic's.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- install
- Hosted signup, or the release-branch Docker Compose stack; Helm is the production path
- setup
- The recommended self-hosted footprint is large and production requires secrets, TLS, backups, database care, and frequent upgrades rather than a single lightweight monitor.
- engines
- Its AI features can connect to OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, Mistral, Ollama, and OpenAI-compatible servers such as vLLM, LocalAI, or LM Studio.
- your data
- Self-hosted telemetry is stored in ClickHouse, application state and configuration in PostgreSQL, and cache, queues, and sessions in Redis.
- checked
- 2026-08-14
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · New Relic open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to New Relic?+
The top free alternative to New Relic is OpenObserve (open source, AGPL-3.0). A single-binary observability stack that remembers storage is not free. Other popular New Relic replacements include HyperDX, Coroot, OneUptime.
Can I self-host a free replacement for New Relic?+
Yes. Of the 4 free alternatives to New Relic, 4 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: OpenObserve (AGPL-3.0), HyperDX (free), Coroot (Apache-2.0), OneUptime (Apache-2.0).
Should I vibe-code or build my own New Relic clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for New Relic is NOT REALLY (use a free alternative, save the tokens). A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For New Relic, collect a small transparent telemetry stream and run a few dashboards locally. The hard boundary is large telemetry platform, agents, query engine, correlation, global ingestion, and support, plus independent infrastructure and reliable alerting.
What is the catch when switching from New Relic to OpenObserve?+
It handles the core signals, but it lacks New Relic's mature application agents, browser and mobile telemetry, entity inventory, and managed-scale experience.
