Hertzbeat vs Uptrace
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Hertzbeat | Uptrace |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSL-1.1 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,405 | ★ 4,290 |
| First released | 2022 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Zabbix, Datadog | Datadog, New Relic |
What are Hertzbeat and Uptrace?
Hertzbeat
HertzBeat is an open-source real-time monitoring system that checks websites, APIs, databases, servers, and more using customizable YAML templates. It includes alerting and a friendly dashboard with no agents required.
- Agentless monitoring
- Customizable YAML templates
- Threshold alerting
- Built-in dashboards
Uptrace
Uptrace is an open-source observability tool that uses OpenTelemetry to collect distributed traces, metrics, and logs. It stores data in ClickHouse and provides a clean UI for analyzing application performance.
- Distributed tracing
- Metrics and logs support
- ClickHouse storage
- OpenTelemetry-native
Hertzbeat vs Uptrace: key differences
Hertzbeat is written in Java, while Uptrace is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Hertzbeat versus BSL-1.1 for Uptrace. Uptrace is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat.
Why pick each one
Choose Hertzbeat if…
- No agents to deploy
- Flexible templates
Watch out for
- JVM resource needs
- Newer project
Choose Uptrace if…
- Efficient ClickHouse backend
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- BSL license restrictions
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Hertzbeat or Uptrace better?
Neither is universally better. Hertzbeat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hertzbeat and Uptrace free and open-source?
Yes. Hertzbeat is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Uptrace under BSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hertzbeat and Uptrace with Docker?
Hertzbeat: yes. Uptrace: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hertzbeat or Uptrace?
Uptrace has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.