Head-to-head · Real User Monitoring
Elastic Real User Monitoring vs Grafana Faro
Elastic Real User Monitoring leads on 0 checks, Grafana Faro on 1, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreElastic Real User Monitoring · 8.7/10
- Free planonly Grafana Faro
- Free trialonly Elastic Real User Monitoring
Elastic Real User Monitoring scores higher on our rubric for real user monitoring: 8.7 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #6.
Grafana Faro offers free plan; Elastic Real User Monitoring doesn't. On data retention, Elastic Real User Monitoring gives you 90+ days where Grafana Faro offers 30 days. On pricing metric, Elastic Real User Monitoring gives you Custom where Grafana Faro offers Sessions.
Elastic Real User Monitoring is the better fit for elastic-stack teams monitoring web performance. Grafana Faro is the better fit for open-source-minded web RUM teams.
- Elastic Real User Monitoring fits best
Elastic-stack teams monitoring web performance
- Grafana Faro fits best
Open-source-minded web RUM teams
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Side by side
| Feature | Elastic Real User Monitoring 8.7/10 Visit ↗ | Grafana Faro 8.6/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| Ranking | #5 in Real User Monitoring | #6 in Real User Monitoring |
| Best for | Elastic-stack teams monitoring web performance | Open-source-minded web RUM teams |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free plan + paid |
| Starting price | $0.07/GB usage-based | $19/mo |
| Free plan | — | ✓ (best) |
| Free trial | 14 days | — |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Support | Email, Tickets, Phone, Community, Docs | Email, Community, Docs |
| Integrations | 300+ integrations | 6 integrations |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Elastic Real User Monitoring 4/5 · Grafana Faro 4/5 | ||
| Core Web Vitals | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile app monitoring | — | Not checked yet |
| Interaction tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Geographic breakdown | ✓ | ✓ |
| Error correlation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Data retention | 90+ days | 30 days |
| Pricing metric | Custom | Sessions |
| Our review | ||
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| Our verdict | Elastic Real User Monitoring captures performance and interaction data from customer-facing web applications through the Elastic APM RUM agent. It is designed for development, SRE, and observability teams that need browser-level visibility… Read the review → |
Grafana Faro is an open-source JavaScript SDK for real user monitoring in browser-based applications. It is designed for developers, DevOps teams, and SREs that need frontend performance, error, interaction, session, and trace data. Faro… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Elastic Real User Monitoring — where it wins
- Reports Core Web Vitals, page timings, and geographic performance.
- Correlates RUM data with Elastic APM logs, metrics, traces, and errors.
- Tracks JavaScript errors and user interactions in browser applications.
Where it doesn't
- Does not provide mobile app monitoring.
- Pricing is based on telemetry ingestion and retained data.
- Its listed integrations center on Elastic APM, Elasticsearch, and Kibana.
Grafana Faro — where it wins
- Free plan includes up to 50k sessions per month
- Tracks Web Vitals, errors, interactions, geography, and sessions
- Connects frontend telemetry with Grafana and OpenTelemetry tools
Where it doesn't
- Web-focused rather than native mobile monitoring
- Free plan includes community support only
- Published retention period is 30 days
- Elastic Real User Monitoring8.7/10 · 14-day trial
A focused web RUM option for teams already working in the Elastic stack.
Visit ElasticFull verdict → - Grafana Faro8.6/10 · Free plan
A flexible web RUM SDK with free usage, Grafana integrations, and self-hosted deployment.
Visit Grafana FaroFull verdict →
Elastic Real User Monitoring vs Grafana Faro: questions
Which is better for real user monitoring, Elastic Real User Monitoring or Grafana Faro?
Elastic Real User Monitoring scores higher on our rubric for real user monitoring: 8.7 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #6.
How do Elastic Real User Monitoring and Grafana Faro compare?
Of the 6 checks we put side by side, Elastic Real User Monitoring leads on none, Grafana Faro on 1, and 5 are level. Free plan only on Grafana Faro.
Do Elastic Real User Monitoring and Grafana Faro have a free plan?
Elastic Real User Monitoring: No. Grafana Faro: Yes.
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All real user monitoring comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
Last updated · How we research and update