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Head-to-head · Continuous Profiling Tools

Pyroscope vs Splunk APM

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Pyroscope #1 in Continuous Profiling Tools 9.3/10 Free plan · paid from $19/mo Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Pyroscope
Splunk APM #8 in Continuous Profiling Tools 8.3/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Splunk APM

Pyroscope leads on 1 check, Splunk APM on 0, and 0 are 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 scorePyroscope · 9.3/10
  • Free planonly Pyroscope

Pyroscope scores higher on our rubric for continuous profiling tools: 9.3 against 8.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #8.

Pyroscope offers free plan; Splunk APM doesn't.

Pyroscope is the better fit for teams wanting open-source profiling with hosted options. Splunk APM is the better fit for splunk users needing correlated application profiling.

  • Pyroscope fits best

    Teams wanting open-source profiling with hosted options

  • Splunk APM fits best

    Splunk users needing correlated application profiling

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. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Pyroscope 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Splunk APM 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 8.3
Ranking #1 in Continuous Profiling Tools #8 in Continuous Profiling Tools
Best for Teams wanting open-source profiling with hosted options Splunk users needing correlated application profiling
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $19/mo Not checked yet
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Email, Community, Docs Docs
Integrations 2 integrations 100+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Pyroscope 0/2 · Splunk APM 0/2
Source map support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Continuous alerts Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment Not checked yet Not checked yet
Language support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Profiling types Not checked yet Not checked yet
Data retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Profiles CPU, memory, and threads across many application languages
  • Supports eBPF, SDK instrumentation, Grafana Alloy, and self-hosting
  • Connects profiling data with Grafana visualizations and observability signals
  • AlwaysOn Profiling supports Java, .NET and Node.js.
  • Correlates traces, profiling, metrics and logs.
  • OpenTelemetry-native instrumentation with distributed tracing.
Cons
  • Free includes 14-day retention and 50 GB ingested per month
  • Pro adds usage-based charges for processed, written, and retained data
  • Enterprise uses custom pricing and plan terms
  • The App & Infra bundle starts at $60 per host monthly.
  • Listed pricing uses annual billing.
  • Cloud deployment may not suit teams needing another model.
Our verdict

Pyroscope is an open-source continuous profiling database from Grafana Labs. It aggregates, stores, queries, and visualizes application performance profiles for development and platform teams. Its coverage includes CPU, memory, and thread…

Read the review →

Splunk APM is a cloud-based application performance monitoring service for engineering, DevOps and SRE teams operating distributed applications, microservices and monoliths. It combines distributed tracing, full-fidelity span collection,…

Read the review →
  1. PyroscopeContinuous Profiling Tools 9.3Free plan · paid from $19/mo
  2. Splunk APMContinuous Profiling Tools 8.3Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Pyroscope — where it wins

    • Profiles CPU, memory, and threads across many application languages
    • Supports eBPF, SDK instrumentation, Grafana Alloy, and self-hosting
    • Connects profiling data with Grafana visualizations and observability signals

    Where it doesn't

    • Free includes 14-day retention and 50 GB ingested per month
    • Pro adds usage-based charges for processed, written, and retained data
    • Enterprise uses custom pricing and plan terms

  • Splunk APM — where it wins

    • AlwaysOn Profiling supports Java, .NET and Node.js.
    • Correlates traces, profiling, metrics and logs.
    • OpenTelemetry-native instrumentation with distributed tracing.

    Where it doesn't

    • The App & Infra bundle starts at $60 per host monthly.
    • Listed pricing uses annual billing.
    • Cloud deployment may not suit teams needing another model.

More comparisons

All continuous profiling tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update