AWS X-Ray
7.1#6 in distributed tracing toolsFree planFree planWebAPILinuxmacOS
VisitAWS X-Ray vs Grafana Cloud Application Observability
Grafana Cloud Application Observability
8.9#2 in log management softwareFrom $0.03 a monthFree planAndroidiOSWebAPI
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | AWS X-Ray | Grafana Cloud Application Observability |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation depth | The API reference was updated October 7, 2026 and documents trace-management and service-map operations. | The documentation covers setup, instrumentation, pricing, cost optimization, troubleshooting, APIs, SDKs, dashboards, integrations, and signal exploration. |
| Founded | 2006 | 2014 |
| Instrumentation options | Applications can send trace data to X-Ray using X-Ray SDKs, X-Ray APIs, AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry, or CloudWatch Application Signals. | Supported approaches include Grafana Java and .NET distributions, upstream JavaScript/Python/PHP/Go SDKs, Beyla eBPF, and the OpenTelemetry Operator. |
| Purpose | AWS X-Ray collects data about application requests and provides tools to view, filter, and analyze it to identify issues and optimization opportunities. | Grafana Cloud Application Observability provides out-of-the-box application monitoring and uses OpenTelemetry and Prometheus data to support root-cause analysis. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.1 out of 5 from 16 reviews | 4.5 out of 5 from 209 reviews |
| Rating on Gartner Peer Insights | 4.3 out of 5 from 20 ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 437 ratings |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 0 out of 10 from 0 reviews | 8.6 out of 10 from 173 reviews |
AWS X-Ray plans
- AWS X-Ray pay-as-you-goFree
- Free tierFree
- Usage above free tierFree
Grafana Cloud Application Observability plans
- FreeFree
- Pro$0.03 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
Pick AWS X-Ray if…
X-Ray suits teams tracing application requests across AWS services and other dependencies. It may also fit teams using OpenTelemetry, though AWS recommends migrating to OpenTelemetry as SDK and daemon releases are limited to security fixes beginning February 25, 2026.
Pick Grafana Cloud Application Observability if…
It suits software engineers who need to detect anomalies, investigate causes, and address application problems. Teams using OpenTelemetry or Prometheus can use its listed compatibility and Alloy pipelines.