OpenObserve vs Windsurf — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
OpenObserve starts at Free. Windsurf starts at $20/mo. OpenObserve is $20/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Windsurf.
See price history: OpenObserve · Windsurf
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.
- Windsurf (Tiered) — Windsurf bills on a fixed plan from $20/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.
AI-first code editor (formerly Codeium). Restructured Mar 19 2026: retired credit-based system, introduced daily/weekly quotas. Free tier (unlimited Tab autocomplete + light Cascade quota), Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams $40/user/mo, Enterprise custom. Pro raised from $15 to $20 in the restructure. Acquired by Cognition AI 2025 (Devin autonomous agent team).
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | OpenObserve monthly | OpenObserve annual | Windsurf monthly | Windsurf annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Cloud Professional (PAYG) / Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Pro | — | — | $20 | $16 |
| Pro / power | — / Max | — | — | $200 | $160 |
| Teams | — / Teams | — | — | $40 | $32 |
| 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.
Windsurf is worth it if… developers who want an AI-first editor priced on daily/weekly quotas (predictable) rather than Cursor's credit-pool model (metered). Free tier is more generous than Cursor's Hobby — unlimited Tab autocomplete is a real productivity floor for solo devs.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — OpenObserve is per usage, Windsurf is tiered.
Choose OpenObserve over Windsurf 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 Windsurf if…
- You want flat, predictable credits without a usage meter running in the background.
- You're a team that values a simpler pricing story over maximum model choice.
- You need enterprise deployment options including self-hosted variants.
At a glance
| OpenObserve | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | $20/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Tiered |
| Last verified | September 16, 2026 | September 10, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 16, 2026. Tracked daily.