bpftrace
bpftrace: A focused, free tool for Linux tracing, profiling, and performance analysis. Ranked #20 of 29 in eBPF Observability Tools by our editors (7.2/10); pricing: Free plan; best for high-level Linux eBPF tracing.
At a glance
- Editor score7.2 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forHigh-level Linux eBPF tracing
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Deployment modelSelf-hosted
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Traces kernel and user-space activity through multiple probe types
- Includes syscall, scheduler, block I/O, and stack profiling tools
- Open source, free, and supports histograms, maps, and BTF access
Where it doesn't
- Limited to Linux environments
- Self-hosted command-line tool rather than a hosted service
- Does not provide integrations for broader observability workflows
Our verdict on bpftrace
bpftrace is an open-source, high-level eBPF tracing language and command-line tool for Linux. It is designed for Linux developers and operators who need to inspect kernel and user-space activity for observability, performance analysis, debugging, or production tracing. Users can write one-liners or scripts to investigate system calls, kernel functions, user-space functions, scheduler activity, block I/O, stack traces, and other events.
Its main strength is breadth within Linux tracing. Kernel static tracing uses tracepoints, while dynamic tracing supports kprobes and kretprobes. User-space investigation can use uprobes and USDT probes, with performance and profile probes also available. Kernel and user-space stack profiling, histograms, aggregation maps, and BTF-based kernel type access add useful depth for performance work. This makes bpftrace a strong fit when engineers need direct, scriptable visibility into operating-system behavior rather than a general application monitoring interface.
The trade-off is focus. bpftrace is self-hosted and Linux-only, so teams need an environment where the command-line tool and its tracing scripts can run. It is also a tracing tool rather than a hosted observability service, and the published positioning does not include broader integrations. Choose bpftrace when high-level eBPF access, kernel profiling, and targeted user-space tracing are the priority. Choose an alternative when the requirement is a hosted platform, multi-platform coverage, or an integrated observability ecosystem.
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bpftrace pricing
bpftrace fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Deployment model | Self-hosted |
| Kubernetes support | Not verified |
| Network visibility | Yes |
| Application tracing | Yes |
| Kernel profiling | Yes |
| Supported operating systems | Linux |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Linux |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | bpftrace.org |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to bpftrace
- CorootBroad eBPF observability with a free edition and $1-per-core Standard pricing.9.3
- DeepFlowA broad open-source platform for application, network, and system observability.9.1
- groundcoverA broad eBPF observability platform for teams connecting traces, RUM, logs, and metrics.9.0
See all bpftrace alternatives →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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