Feature Giant vs Lightweight Clone
Sentry vs GlitchTip: Which One Should You Choose in 1970?
Sentry is the most complete error platform, with tracing, replay and profiling on one SDK, and it is priced accordingly. GlitchTip reimplements the Sentry intake API in MIT-licensed code that runs on one small server.
Quick verdict
- Deep debugging
- Sentrysource maps, breadcrumbs, tracing, replay
- Small team cost
- GlitchTipMIT, one-server deploy, Sentry SDK compatible
Sentry vs GlitchTip: feature comparison
| Feature | SentryProprietarySelf-Hostable | GlitchTipOpen SourceSelf-Hostable |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Source-available (FSL) with paid plans | MIT (source on GitLab) |
| Self-Hosted Weight | Kafka, ClickHouse, Snuba, workers | Postgres + Redis + one app container |
| Free Tier | 5,000 errors/mo, 1 user | 1,000 events/mo hosted; unlimited self-hosted |
| Tracing / Replay | Full | Basic performance, no replay |
| Sentry SDK Compatible | Native | Yes (drop-in intake API) |
Pricing takeaway
A team sending 200,000 errors a month pays several hundred dollars on Sentry's event pricing, while a self-hosted GlitchTip instance costs one $20-40/mo server.
- 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
- GlitchTip
- Open source (MIT, source on GitLab) / hosted plans. Starts at $0 (self-hosted) or ~$15/mo (hosted). Hosted Hobby: 1,000 events/mo; self-hosted unlimited.Full GlitchTip pricing breakdown
Pros and cons
Sentry
Visit SentryPros
- 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
GlitchTip
Visit GlitchTipPros
- Sentry-compatible event intake, so the existing Sentry SDKs just point at it
- MIT licensed and runnable on one modest server with Postgres and Redis
- Roughly a fifth of the operational weight of a Sentry self-host
Cons
- Source lives on GitLab, so GitHub-based tooling does not see it
- Fewer features than Sentry: no comparable profiling or replay depth
- Small team, so releases and integrations move slower
Sentry vs GlitchTip: FAQ
Is GlitchTip a good alternative to Sentry?
Sentry is the most complete error platform, with tracing, replay and profiling on one SDK, and it is priced accordingly. GlitchTip reimplements the Sentry intake API in MIT-licensed code that runs on one small server.
Which is cheaper, Sentry or GlitchTip?
A team sending 200,000 errors a month pays several hundred dollars on Sentry's event pricing, while a self-hosted GlitchTip instance costs one $20-40/mo server.
Is Sentry or GlitchTip open source?
Sentry is proprietary. GlitchTip is open source.
Can I self-host Sentry or GlitchTip?
Sentry can be self-hosted. Difficulty: High (Docker Compose with Kafka, ClickHouse and Snuba). GlitchTip can be self-hosted. Difficulty: Low (Docker Compose with Postgres and Redis).
Do Sentry and GlitchTip have a free tier?
Sentry: Free Developer plan: 5,000 errors/mo, 1 user. GlitchTip: Hosted Hobby: 1,000 events/mo; self-hosted unlimited.