Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Blackfire Profiler review

#19 of 28 in Profiling Software

A deep profiler for PHP teams that need testing and CI/CD controls.

7.9/10Editor score
Visit Blackfire
Blackfire Profiler7.9 Visit Blackfire

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Blackfire Profiler is a cloud-based profiling tool for PHP and Python applications. It measures runtime resource consumption at function-call level, with views for call stacks, timelines, wall time, CPU time, I/O, memory, network calls, HTTP requests and SQL queries. It is aimed at development, testing, staging and production workflows, particularly for PHP teams that need both diagnostic profiling and performance testing rather than a narrow snapshot of runtime behavior.

Its standout strength is the connection between investigation and regression prevention. Automated issue detection and recommendations help identify bottlenecks, while distributed profiling and subprofiles extend analysis across application components. Performance testing adds builds, scenarios and custom assertions, and the platform connects with GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Travis CI, Behat, Symfony Functional Tests and Laravel Tests. Browser extension and CLI profiling also give teams multiple ways to capture performance data.

Pricing is structured around a Development plan at €33.25 per month with annual billing, including Profiling and Manual assertions. The Production plan adds Performance Monitoring, Continuous Profiling, Alerting, Continuous Testing and Integrations; it costs €189.90 per month with monthly billing or €158.25 per month with annual billing. Blackfire does not offer a general free plan, so teams seeking a no-cost profiler should consider alternatives. Choose Blackfire when function-level analysis, performance tests and CI/CD integration justify a paid platform; choose another tool when free access or a simpler profiling scope matters more.

Blackfire Profiler pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Function-level views cover CPU, memory, I/O, network, HTTP and SQL.
    • Performance tests support builds, scenarios and custom assertions.
    • CI/CD, hosting, browser extension and CLI integrations broaden workflows.
  • Where it doesn't
    • There is no general free plan.
    • The Development tier is limited to profiling and manual assertions.
    • The annual-billing entry price is €33.25 per month.

Blackfire Profiler fact sheet, pricing and score →

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.

Last updated · How we research and update