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Head-to-head · Distributed Tracing Tools

Uptrace vs Pinpoint

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Uptrace #5 in Distributed Tracing Tools 8.8/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Uptrace
Pinpoint #6 in Distributed Tracing Tools 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Pinpoint

Uptrace leads on 0 checks, Pinpoint on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreUptrace · 8.8/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Uptrace
  • Most featuresPinpoint · 2 of 3

Uptrace scores higher on our rubric for distributed tracing tools: 8.8 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #6.

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

Uptrace is the better fit for flexible hybrid tracing with rich integrations. Pinpoint is the better fit for java-heavy self-hosted environments.

  • Uptrace fits best

    Flexible hybrid tracing with rich integrations

  • Pinpoint fits best

    Java-heavy self-hosted environments

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 Uptrace 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Pinpoint 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.7
Ranking #5 in Distributed Tracing Tools #6 in Distributed Tracing Tools
Best for Flexible hybrid tracing with rich integrations Java-heavy self-hosted environments
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price $39/mo Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web, Windows
Support Email, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 5 integrations 15 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Uptrace 0/3 · Pinpoint 2/3
OpenTelemetry support Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Service map Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Tail-based sampling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Trace retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Deployment model Hybrid Self_hosted
Pricing basis Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • 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
  • Detailed transaction traces with code-level call-stack inspection
  • ServerMap visualizes application topology and dependencies
  • JVM, thread, memory, GC, TPS, and application inspection
Cons
  • Cloud costs increase with telemetry volume
  • Commercial on-premises deployments require a paid edition
  • Its broad observability scope may exceed tracing-only needs
  • Self-managed deployment requires multiple infrastructure components
  • Its strongest coverage is centered on Java application environments
  • Rate-based sampling may require careful trace-volume configuration
Our verdict

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 →

Pinpoint is an open-source application performance management tool for large-scale distributed systems. It is aimed at teams that need to trace transactions across applications, inspect service relationships, and investigate Java…

Read the review →
  1. UptraceDistributed Tracing Tools 8.8Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. PinpointDistributed Tracing Tools 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • 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

  • Pinpoint — where it wins

    • Detailed transaction traces with code-level call-stack inspection
    • ServerMap visualizes application topology and dependencies
    • JVM, thread, memory, GC, TPS, and application inspection

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-managed deployment requires multiple infrastructure components
    • Its strongest coverage is centered on Java application environments
    • Rate-based sampling may require careful trace-volume configuration
  • Uptrace8.8/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

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

    Visit UptraceFull verdict →
  • Pinpoint8.7/10 · Free plan

    A self-hosted tracing and JVM observability tool for Java-heavy distributed environments.

    Visit PinpointFull 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