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Head-to-head · Distributed Tracing Tools

Jaeger vs OpenZipkin

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Jaeger #2 in Distributed Tracing Tools 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Jaeger
OpenZipkin #7 in Distributed Tracing Tools 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit OpenZipkin

Jaeger leads on 0 checks, OpenZipkin on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreJaeger · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresOpenZipkin · 2 of 3

Jaeger scores higher on our rubric for distributed tracing tools: 9.2 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #7.

Jaeger is the better fit for open-source tracing with sampling flexibility. OpenZipkin is the better fit for teams wanting simple open-source Zipkin tracing.

  • Jaeger fits best

    Open-source tracing with sampling flexibility

  • OpenZipkin fits best

    Teams wanting simple open-source Zipkin tracing

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Jaeger 9.2/10 Visit ↗ OpenZipkin 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.6
Ranking #2 in Distributed Tracing Tools #7 in Distributed Tracing Tools
Best for Open-source tracing with sampling flexibility Teams wanting simple open-source Zipkin tracing
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Linux, Windows, macOS Web
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 8 integrations 10 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Jaeger 0/3 · OpenZipkin 2/3
OpenTelemetry support Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Service map Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Tail-based sampling Not checked yet —
Specs
Trace retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Deployment model Self_hosted Self_hosted
Pricing basis Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • OTLP and Zipkin ingestion support
  • Head-, tail-, and adaptive sampling modes
  • Dependency graphs plus trace search and query APIs
  • Search traces by service, operation, tags, duration, or trace ID
  • Dependency diagrams and web trace views clarify service behavior
  • Supports HTTP, Kafka, gRPC, RabbitMQ, and configurable storage backends
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership
  • Storage backend selection adds architectural decisions
  • Focused on distributed tracing rather than a broader observability suite
  • Self-hosted deployment requires managing the Java executable, Docker, or source setup
  • OpenTelemetry OTLP/HTTP ingestion is provided through an experimental extension
  • No documented tail-sampling capability for trace volume control
Our verdict

Jaeger is an open-source distributed tracing platform for developers and platform teams operating microservice-based and other distributed applications. It collects and visualizes traces, helping teams investigate errors, identify…

Read the review →

OpenZipkin is an open-source distributed tracing system for service architectures. It collects, stores, searches, and visualizes trace data through a web UI and query API. Teams can look up traces by service, operation, tags, duration, or…

Read the review →
  1. JaegerDistributed Tracing Tools 9.2Free plan
  2. OpenZipkinDistributed Tracing Tools 8.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Jaeger — where it wins

    • OTLP and Zipkin ingestion support
    • Head-, tail-, and adaptive sampling modes
    • Dependency graphs plus trace search and query APIs

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership
    • Storage backend selection adds architectural decisions
    • Focused on distributed tracing rather than a broader observability suite

  • OpenZipkin — where it wins

    • Search traces by service, operation, tags, duration, or trace ID
    • Dependency diagrams and web trace views clarify service behavior
    • Supports HTTP, Kafka, gRPC, RabbitMQ, and configurable storage backends

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires managing the Java executable, Docker, or source setup
    • OpenTelemetry OTLP/HTTP ingestion is provided through an experimental extension
    • No documented tail-sampling capability for trace volume control

More comparisons

All distributed tracing tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update