Apache SkyWalking vs Speedtest Tracker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Apache SkyWalking
APM and observability for cloud-native architectures
VS
Speedtest Tracker
Tracks internet connection speed over time on a dashboard
| Feature | Apache SkyWalking | Speedtest Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,915 | ★ 5,881 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | New Relic, Datadog | Speedtest.net |
Why pick each one
Choose Apache SkyWalking if…
- Full observability suite
- Strong Apache governance
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or Speedtest Tracker better?
Neither is universally better. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community, while Speedtest Tracker is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache SkyWalking and Speedtest Tracker free and open-source?
Yes. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Speedtest Tracker under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache SkyWalking and Speedtest Tracker with Docker?
Apache SkyWalking: yes. Speedtest Tracker: yes.