Apache SkyWalking vs Uptrace

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?
FeatureApache SkyWalkingUptrace
CategoryMonitoring & StatusMonitoring & Status
LicenseApache-2.0BSL-1.1
LanguageJavaGo
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM2,048 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, helmdocker, kubernetes, binary
GitHub stars★ 24,915★ 4,256
First released20152021
ReplacesNew Relic, DatadogDatadog, New Relic

Why pick each one

Choose Apache SkyWalking if…

  • Full observability suite
  • Strong Apache governance
Apache SkyWalking details

Choose Uptrace if…

  • Efficient ClickHouse backend
  • Easy to deploy
Uptrace details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache SkyWalking or Uptrace better?

Neither is universally better. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community, while Uptrace is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Apache SkyWalking and Uptrace free and open-source?

Yes. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Uptrace under BSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Apache SkyWalking and Uptrace with Docker?

Apache SkyWalking: yes. Uptrace: yes.

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