OpenLLMetry vs promptfoo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | OpenLLMetry | promptfoo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 97 · Excellent |
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,445 | ★ 25,409 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | LangSmith, Datadog LLM Observability | LangSmith |
What are OpenLLMetry and promptfoo?
OpenLLMetry
OpenLLMetry is a set of OpenTelemetry extensions from Traceloop that add observability to LLM applications. It instruments calls to model providers and vector databases so traces and metrics can be sent to any self-hosted backend.
- OpenTelemetry-based tracing
- Instruments popular LLM SDKs
- Vendor-neutral export
- Vector database instrumentation
promptfoo
promptfoo is a developer-friendly tool for testing and evaluating prompts, models, and RAG systems. It supports automated evaluations, comparisons, and security red-teaming with a local web viewer.
- Automated prompt evals
- Model comparison matrix
- Red-teaming and security tests
- Local web viewer
OpenLLMetry vs promptfoo: key differences
OpenLLMetry is written in Python, while promptfoo is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for OpenLLMetry versus MIT for promptfoo. OpenLLMetry is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for promptfoo. Promptfoo has the considerably larger community, at 25,409 GitHub stars versus 7,445. OpenLLMetry lists first-class Docker deployment; promptfoo does not.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenLLMetry if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose promptfoo if…
- Simple YAML configs
- Red-teaming built in
- Runs fully locally
Watch out for
- CLI-centric workflow
- Node.js required
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenLLMetry or promptfoo better?
promptfoo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider OpenLLMetry if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenLLMetry and promptfoo free and open-source?
Yes. OpenLLMetry is licensed under Apache-2.0 and promptfoo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenLLMetry and promptfoo with Docker?
OpenLLMetry: yes. promptfoo: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenLLMetry or promptfoo?
OpenLLMetry has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for promptfoo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.