Logfire vs SigNoz¶
SigNoz is an open-source observability platform available as both a self-hosted solution and a managed cloud service. Logfire is an AI-native observability platform, also built on OpenTelemetry, with full-stack monitoring capabilities and (Enterprise) self=hosting options. Both platforms support logs, traces, and metrics, but they serve different needs..
This comparison covers both SigNoz deployment options so you can make an informed choice.
Quick Comparison¶
| Aspect | Logfire | SigNoz Cloud | SigNoz Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Managed SaaS (or Enterprise self-host) | Managed SaaS | You host everything |
| Scope | AI-native and full-stack (logs, traces, metrics) | Full-stack (logs, traces, metrics), | Full-stack (logs, traces, metrics) |
| Setup | 3 lines of code | OTel configuration | Deploy collectors, ClickHouse, storage |
| AI/LLM observability | Native (one function call) + purpose-built UI | Via OpenLLMetry | Via OpenLLMetry |
| SDKs | First-class Python, JS/TS, Rust | Standard OTel | No SDKs (standard OTel) |
| Maintenance | Zero | Zero | You manage it all |
| Pricing | 10M spans free, then $2/M (plus base plan fee)* | Base plan fee + usage | "Free" but infra + maintenance costs |
| Query language | PostgreSQL-compatible SQL | ClickHouse SQL | ClickHouse SQL |
| *Logfire Cloud pricing (Team or Growth plans). Enterprise pricing available on request. |
Logfire vs SigNoz Cloud¶
If you want managed observability without infrastructure overhead, here's how Logfire and SigNoz Cloud compare.
What's Similar¶
Both SaaS platforms handle infrastructure for you—no ClickHouse to manage, no collectors to deploy, no scaling headaches. You instrument your app, send data, and get observability.
Where Logfire Differs¶
AI-native observability. Logfire was built for AI applications from the ground up. One function call instruments OpenAI, Anthropic, LangChain, PydanticAI, and more. You get purpose-built panels for LLM conversations, tool calls, and automatic token/cost tracking. SigNoz requires custom instrumentation via OpenLLMetry or manual span configuration to achieve similar visibility.
Developer experience. Logfire's SDK is designed for simplicity:
import logfire
logfire.configure()
logfire.instrument_openai()
Three lines and you're observing AI calls. SigNoz uses standard OpenTelemetry instrumentation, which requires more configuration and overhead.
SQL querying for agentic workflows. Logfire uses PostgreSQL-compatible SQL. This matters more than it might seem—AI coding assistants and agents write excellent PostgreSQL. When you're debugging production issues with Claude or Cursor, your tools can query your observability data without learning tool-specific syntax. SigNoz uses ClickHouse SQL, which is powerful but less familiar to most developers and AI tools.
SDK flexibility. The Logfire SDK can send data to any OTel-compatible backend, including SigNoz. If you like our SDK's simplicity but want to use their backend, you can.
Pricing includes 10M traces for free. Paid plans start at $49/mo with 10M spans included, then $2 per million spans after that. That's it. No host fees, no custom metrics fees, no ingestion surprises.
When to Choose Each¶
Choose Logfire if you're building AI/LLM applications, want the simplest possible setup, or work heavily with AI coding tools, use MCP for debugging, and benefit from querying your data with standard SQL.
Choose SigNoz Cloud if you need Prometheus-style infrastructure metrics alongside APM, prefer standard OTel instrumentation, or your team is already familiar with ClickHouse.
Logfire vs SigNoz Self-Hosted¶
If you're considering self-hosting SigNoz, this is a fundamentally different tradeoff: managed convenience vs full control.
The Self-Hosting Reality¶
SigNoz self-hosted gives you complete control over your observability stack. It also means:
- Deploying and managing ClickHouse (resource-intensive)
- Running and scaling OTel collectors
- Handling upgrades, patches, and security updates
- Maintaining high availability
- Significant DevOps investment
This is the nature of self-hosted infrastructure. Some organizations need this level of control.
True Cost Comparison¶
SigNoz self-hosted is open-source, but "free" doesn't include: - Server costs (ClickHouse needs substantial resources) - Engineering time for setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting - On-call burden when your monitoring infrastructure has issues
Logfire pricing is transparent: 10M spans free, then $2/million on Team or Growth plans. Enterprise pricing available on request. No hidden infrastructure costs.
When to Choose Each¶
Choose Logfire if you want to focus on your application instead of your monitoring infrastructure, need AI-first observability, don't have dedicated DevOps resources, want to use MCP server to debug errors, query tracing data with SQL, built dashboards, visualise evals and setup alerts with the same platform.
Choose SigNoz Self-Hosted if you have strict data residency requirements that prevent using any cloud service, need complete control over your observability infrastructure, or have a DevOps team with capacity to maintain the stack.
Migration Path¶
If you're running SigNoz and considering Logfire:
- Both platforms use OpenTelemetry, so instrumentation concepts transfer directly
- Try Logfire alongside SigNoz to compare the experience
- The Logfire SDK works with any OTel backend—you can use our simpler instrumentation while evaluating
Summary¶
Logfire is for teams who want managed or self-hosted (via https://pydantic.dev/pricing#enterprise?utm_source=signoz_comparison_docs) AI-native observability with minimal operational overhead. It's built for developers who'd rather focus on their application than their monitoring infrastructure—especially those without dedicated DevOps resources. Beyond tracing, Logfire lets you query your telemetry data with SQL, build dashboards, visualize evals, and set up alerts all in one platform. You can even debug production errors via MCP server directly from your IDE.
SigNoz Cloud is for teams who want managed observability with standard OTel instrumentation and ClickHouse's query capabilities.
SigNoz Self-Hosted is for teams who must own their infrastructure—whether for compliance, control, or organizational requirements—and have the resources to maintain it.