OpenObserve vs Sema4.ai — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
OpenObserve starts at Free. Sema4.ai uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
See price history: OpenObserve · Sema4.ai
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- OpenObserve (Per Usage) — OpenObserve bills purely on usage — $0.50/GB ingest + $0.01/GB query (30% off annual, no per-seat fees). There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Sema4.ai (Per Usage) — Sema4.ai bills purely on usage. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
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.
Enterprise agentic automation platform from the makers of Robocorp. Provides a Python-native SDK for building autonomous AI agents that execute long-running business processes. Enterprise-only, all pricing custom-quoted. Focus on large enterprises replacing legacy RPA (UiPath, Automation Anywhere) with modern LLM-driven agents.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | OpenObserve monthly | OpenObserve annual | Sema4.ai monthly | Sema4.ai annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Cloud Professional (PAYG) / — | Free | Free | — | — |
| Enterprise | Cloud Enterprise / Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
OpenObserve is worth it if… OpenObserve is ideal for teams migrating off Datadog, Splunk, or New Relic who want radically transparent pay-per-GB pricing with no seat fees. Best if your telemetry cost is dominated by log and metric volume rather than user count.
Sema4.ai is worth it if… ai is worth engaging with if you're a large enterprise looking to replace legacy RPA (UiPath, Automation Anywhere) with modern LLM-native agents that reason and adapt. The Python-native SDK is the differentiator vs no-code RPA.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose OpenObserve over Sema4.ai if…
Choose OpenObserve if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile OpenObserve is built for: ideal for teams migrating off Datadog, Splunk, or New Relic who want radically transparent pay-per-GB pricing with no seat fees.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Sema4.ai if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Sema4.ai is built for: Sema4.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| OpenObserve | Sema4.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Entry price | Free | Custom |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Last verified | September 16, 2026 | — |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 16, 2026. Tracked daily.