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Head-to-head · Distributed Tracing Tools

Jaeger vs Uptrace

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Jaeger #2 in Distributed Tracing Tools 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Jaeger
Uptrace #5 in Distributed Tracing Tools 8.8/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Uptrace

Jaeger leads on 0 checks, Uptrace on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreJaeger · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Uptrace

Jaeger scores higher on our rubric for distributed tracing tools: 9.2 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #5.

On deployment model, Uptrace gives you Hybrid where Jaeger offers Self_hosted.

Jaeger is the better fit for open-source tracing with sampling flexibility. Uptrace is the better fit for flexible hybrid tracing with rich integrations.

  • Jaeger fits best

    Open-source tracing with sampling flexibility

  • Uptrace fits best

    Flexible hybrid tracing with rich integrations

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 ↗ Uptrace 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.8
Ranking #2 in Distributed Tracing Tools #5 in Distributed Tracing Tools
Best for Open-source tracing with sampling flexibility Flexible hybrid tracing with rich integrations
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $39/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Linux, Windows, macOS Web
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Integrations 8 integrations 5 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Jaeger 0/3 · Uptrace 0/3
OpenTelemetry support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Service map Not checked yet Not checked yet
Tail-based sampling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Trace retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Deployment model Self_hosted Hybrid
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
  • Trace waterfalls, dependency maps, and distributed transaction tracing
  • OpenTelemetry, PromQL, logs, metrics, and broad integrations
  • Managed cloud, free self-hosting, and commercial on-premises options
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership
  • Storage backend selection adds architectural decisions
  • Focused on distributed tracing rather than a broader observability suite
  • Cloud costs increase with telemetry volume
  • Commercial on-premises deployments require a paid edition
  • Its broad observability scope may exceed tracing-only needs
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 →

Uptrace is an OpenTelemetry-native application performance monitoring and observability platform for engineering and DevOps teams. It collects traces, metrics, and logs, then combines distributed tracing, trace waterfalls, service…

Read the review →
  1. JaegerDistributed Tracing Tools 9.2Free plan
  2. UptraceDistributed Tracing Tools 8.8Free plan · 14-day trial

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

  • Uptrace — where it wins

    • Trace waterfalls, dependency maps, and distributed transaction tracing
    • OpenTelemetry, PromQL, logs, metrics, and broad integrations
    • Managed cloud, free self-hosting, and commercial on-premises options

    Where it doesn't

    • Cloud costs increase with telemetry volume
    • Commercial on-premises deployments require a paid edition
    • Its broad observability scope may exceed tracing-only needs
  • Jaeger9.2/10 · Free plan

    A flexible self-hosted tracer for teams that need control over sampling and storage.

    Visit JaegerFull verdict →
  • Uptrace8.8/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A flexible tracing platform with broad telemetry, dashboard, alerting, and notification support.

    Visit UptraceFull verdict →

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