Uptrace vs Zabbix
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Zabbix
Enterprise-grade open-source monitoring solution
| Feature | Uptrace | Zabbix |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | BSL-1.1 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go Template |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,290 | ★ 6,411 |
| First released | 2021 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Datadog, New Relic | Datadog, Nagios |
What are Uptrace and Zabbix?
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
Zabbix
Zabbix is an enterprise-class monitoring solution for networks, servers, cloud, and applications with deep alerting. It targets organizations needing comprehensive infrastructure monitoring. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Agent and agentless monitoring
- Powerful triggers and alerting
- Network discovery and maps
- Highly scalable
Uptrace vs Zabbix: key differences
Uptrace is written in Go, while Zabbix is built with Go Template. Licensing differs — BSL-1.1 for Uptrace versus AGPL-3.0 for Zabbix. Uptrace is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Zabbix. Zabbix is the more established project (first released 2001), while Uptrace arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Uptrace if…
- Efficient ClickHouse backend
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- BSL license restrictions
- Smaller community
Choose Zabbix if…
- Comprehensive and mature
- Scales to large estates
- Fully free
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Dated interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Uptrace or Zabbix better?
Neither is universally better. Zabbix 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 Uptrace and Zabbix free and open-source?
Yes. Uptrace is licensed under BSL-1.1 and Zabbix under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Uptrace and Zabbix with Docker?
Uptrace: yes. Zabbix: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Uptrace or Zabbix?
Uptrace has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Zabbix. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.