OpenObserve vs Vellum — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
OpenObserve starts at Free. Vellum starts at $30/mo. OpenObserve is $30/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Vellum.
See price history: OpenObserve · Vellum
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.
- Vellum (Tiered) — Vellum bills on a fixed plan from $30/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
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.
Personal AI assistant that runs your tasks in a hosted environment. Plans priced by 'computer size' (small/medium/large) and included storage (10/30/60 GB), with each tier bundling usage. Higher tiers add an Assistant email and dedicated subdomain. Custom Plan builds a bespoke fit for heavier workflows. Vellum pivoted to this consumer-friendly assistant product in 2026 after operating as an LLMOps platform earlier.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | OpenObserve monthly | OpenObserve annual | Vellum monthly | Vellum annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Cloud Professional (PAYG) / Start Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Mighty | — | — | $30 | $30 |
| Mid tier | — / Super | — | — | $100 | $100 |
| Pro / power | — / Ultra | — | — | $200 | $200 |
| Enterprise | Cloud Enterprise / Custom | 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.
Vellum is worth it if… individuals who want a persistent AI assistant that can execute multi-step tasks, keep files in a hosted workspace, and be reached via a custom email or subdomain. Mighty $30 suits casual daily use; Super $100 adds email/subdomain features for prosumers; Ultra $200 targets power users who lean on the assistant heavily.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — OpenObserve is per usage, Vellum is tiered.
Choose OpenObserve over Vellum 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 Vellum if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (tiered, from $30/mo).
- You match the profile Vellum is built for: individuals who want a persistent AI assistant that can execute multi-step tasks, keep files in a hosted workspace, and be reached via a custom email or subdomain.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| OpenObserve | Vellum | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | $30/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Tiered |
| Last verified | September 16, 2026 | September 20, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.