SigNoz vs Apache SkyWalking

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureSigNozApache SkyWalking
CategoryDeveloper Tools & GitMonitoring & Status
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptJava
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM4,096 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, helmdocker, kubernetes, helm
GitHub stars★ 31,790★ 24,915
First released20212015
ReplacesDatadog, New RelicNew Relic, Datadog

Why pick each one

Choose SigNoz if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 31.8k GitHub stars
SigNoz details

Choose Apache SkyWalking if…

  • Full observability suite
  • Strong Apache governance
Apache SkyWalking details

Frequently asked questions

Is SigNoz or Apache SkyWalking better?

SigNoz is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Apache SkyWalking if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are SigNoz and Apache SkyWalking free and open-source?

Yes. SigNoz is licensed under MIT and Apache SkyWalking under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run SigNoz and Apache SkyWalking with Docker?

SigNoz: yes. Apache SkyWalking: yes.

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