Skip to content
SStackSwitch

Breadth vs Mobile Crash Depth

Sentry vs Bugsnag: Which One Should You Choose in 1970?

Bugsnag is built around mobile crash reporting and release stability, and it shows in the iOS and Android SDKs. Sentry covers mobile and server with more observability for roughly similar money at small volumes.

Quick verdict

Mobile only apps
Bugsnagcrash-free session metrics and native symbolication
Full stack teams
Sentryserver, frontend, mobile and tracing in one project

Sentry vs Bugsnag: feature comparison

FeatureSentryProprietarySelf-HostableBugsnag (SmartBear)Proprietary
Free Tier5,000 errors/mo7,500 events/mo
Entry Price$26/mo~$46/mo
Native Mobile SDKsStrongBest in class
Crash-Free Session MetricsPartialCore feature
Self-HostedYes (heavy)No

Pricing takeaway

Bugsnag gives away more free events (7,500 against 5,000) but charges more once you pass them, roughly $46/mo against Sentry's $26/mo entry plan.

Sentry
Per-event volume + seats. Starts at $26/mo (Team, 50,000 errors). Free Developer plan: 5,000 errors/mo, 1 user.Full Sentry pricing breakdown
Bugsnag (SmartBear)
Per-event plan tiers. Starts at Free tier then from ~$46/mo. Free 7,500 events/mo.Full Bugsnag pricing breakdown

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Best-in-class stack traces with releases, source maps and breadcrumbs
  • Performance tracing, session replay and profiling share one SDK
  • Self-hosted option keeps error data inside your own infrastructure

Cons

  • Event and seat pricing climbs quickly for teams and noisy apps
  • Self-hosting is heavy: Kafka, ClickHouse, Snuba and workers to operate
  • The self-hosted licence is source-available (FSL), not OSI open source

Bugsnag (SmartBear)

Visit Bugsnag

Pros

  • Stability scores and release-stage tracking built into the dashboard
  • Strong native crash reporting for iOS and Android
  • Procurement-friendly as part of the SmartBear portfolio

Cons

  • Price steps up steeply once the free event allowance is exceeded
  • Shallower performance tracing than Sentry
  • UI and API feel dated next to newer tools

Sentry vs Bugsnag: FAQ

Is Bugsnag a good alternative to Sentry?

Bugsnag is built around mobile crash reporting and release stability, and it shows in the iOS and Android SDKs. Sentry covers mobile and server with more observability for roughly similar money at small volumes.

Which is cheaper, Sentry or Bugsnag?

Bugsnag gives away more free events (7,500 against 5,000) but charges more once you pass them, roughly $46/mo against Sentry's $26/mo entry plan.

Is Sentry or Bugsnag open source?

Sentry is proprietary. Bugsnag (SmartBear) is proprietary.

Can I self-host Sentry or Bugsnag?

Sentry can be self-hosted. Difficulty: High (Docker Compose with Kafka, ClickHouse and Snuba). Bugsnag (SmartBear) cannot be self-hosted.

Do Sentry and Bugsnag have a free tier?

Sentry: Free Developer plan: 5,000 errors/mo, 1 user. Bugsnag (SmartBear): Free 7,500 events/mo.