GitLab vs OpenObserve: Pricing Comparison (2026)
GitLab starts at $29/mo. OpenObserve starts at Free. OpenObserve is $29/mo cheaper on the entry tier than GitLab.
See price history: GitLab · OpenObserve
Complete DevOps platform (source control + CI/CD + security + monitoring), publicly traded (GTLB), ~$8B market cap. Positioned as the alternative to stitching GitHub + Jenkins + Snyk + Datadog together. Distinctive as the largest all-remote public company (2,000+ employees, no offices) and for its self-hostable Community Edition. Priced free-$29/user/mo Premium + $99/user/mo Ultimate. Popular with regulated industries needing self-hosted DevOps.
OpenObserve is a Datadog/Splunk/New Relic alternative positioned on transparent pay-as-you-go pricing with no per-seat or per-host fees. Cloud PAYG: $0.50/GB ingestion + $0.01/GB query (30% off with annual commit). Includes 15-month metrics retention + 30-day non-metrics retention default. Enterprise adds SSO/RBAC, AI SRE agent, BYO bucket infinite retention. Self-hosted OSS is free; Self-hosted Enterprise free up to 50GB/day.
All plans compared
| # | Plan | GitLab monthly | GitLab annual | OpenObserve monthly | OpenObserve annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free / Cloud Professional (PAYG) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Premium / Cloud Enterprise | 29 | 29 | custom | custom |
| 3 | Ultimate / Self-hosted (OSS) | custom | custom | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Self-hosted Enterprise | — | — | 0 | 0 |
What each is best for
Complete DevOps platform (source control + CI/CD + security + monitoring), publicly traded (GTLB), ~$8B market cap. Positioned as the alternative to stitching GitHub + Jenkins + Snyk + Datadog together. Distinctive as the largest all-remote public company (2,000+ employees, no offices) and for its self-hostable Community Edition. Priced free-$29/user/mo Premium + $99/user/mo Ultimate. Popular with regulated industries needing self-hosted DevOps.
OpenObserve is a Datadog/Splunk/New Relic alternative positioned on transparent pay-as-you-go pricing with no per-seat or per-host fees. Cloud PAYG: $0.50/GB ingestion + $0.01/GB query (30% off with annual commit). Includes 15-month metrics retention + 30-day non-metrics retention default. Enterprise adds SSO/RBAC, AI SRE agent, BYO bucket infinite retention. Self-hosted OSS is free; Self-hosted Enterprise free up to 50GB/day.
At a glance
| GitLab | OpenObserve | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $29/mo | Free |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Per Usage |
| Last verified | August 25, 2026 | August 28, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified August 28, 2026. Tracked daily.