Sematext Tracing
Sematext Tracing: Affordable managed tracing with RED metrics, dependency maps, and OTLP ingestion. Ranked #14 of 32 in Distributed Tracing Tools by our editors (7.8/10); pricing: 14-day trial; best for affordable managed tracing with RED metrics.
At a glance
- Editor score7.8 / 10
- Pricing14-day trial
- Best forAffordable managed tracing with RED metrics
- Free planNo
- Paid from$17.10/mo
- OpenTelemetry supportYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- OTLP ingestion over HTTP and gRPC
- RED metrics, service maps, and database query insights
- Automatic instrumentation across supported languages and frameworks
Where it doesn't
- No free plan is available
- Cloud deployment through Sematext Cloud
- Sampling is head-based; tail sampling is planned for a future release
Our verdict on Sematext Tracing
Sematext Tracing is a managed distributed-tracing and application-performance-monitoring service for microservices and distributed systems. It is designed for teams running applications across Kubernetes, Docker, containers, or bare metal, with traces collected through OpenTelemetry and OTLP and analyzed in a web interface. Supported capabilities include automatic instrumentation, end-to-end trace analysis, trace search, timeline views, latency percentiles, error analysis, service dependency maps, alerting, database-query insights, and RED metrics derived from traces.
Pricing is paid and based on spans. The Basic plan costs $19 per month with monthly billing or $17.10 per month with annual billing, and includes core tracing features. A 14-day trial is available. Standard adds advanced alerting, custom dashboards, and performance heatmaps. Pro includes all Standard features, dedicated account management, and the highest span-volume limits. The published plans show a clear entry point for smaller teams, while the higher tiers are aimed at organizations that need more alerting, visualization, account support, or span capacity.
Its ecosystem fit is centered on OpenTelemetry, with OTLP ingestion over HTTP and gRPC and automatic instrumentation for Java, Python, Node.js, Go, .NET, Ruby, and PHP. Integrations include PagerDuty, Slack, email, Kubernetes, and Docker. Head-based sampling configuration is available, while tail sampling is planned for a future release. Choose Sematext Tracing if you want managed cloud tracing with RED metrics, dependency mapping, and database visibility without building the tracing interface yourself. Teams requiring tail sampling today or a free plan should consider alternatives.
Your product? Our editors can test Sematext Tracing in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Sematext Tracing pricing
All 3 Sematext Tracing plans and prices →
Sematext Tracing fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $17.10/mo |
| OpenTelemetry support | Yes |
| Service map | Yes |
| Tail-based sampling | No |
| Trace retention | 1 days |
| Deployment model | Cloud |
| Pricing basis | Spans |
| Free trial | 14 days · no card needed |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Email, Live chat, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 12 integrations: PagerDuty, Slack, email, Java, Python, Node.js … See all → |
| Pricing | 14-day trial (source) |
| Website | sematext.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Sematext Tracing integrations
Sematext Tracing lists 12 integrations on its own site.
- PagerDuty
- Slack
- Java
- Python
- Node.js
- Go
- .NET
- Ruby
- PHP
- Kubernetes
- Docker
See all Sematext Tracing integrations →
Alternatives to Sematext Tracing
- Apache SkyWalkingA broad self-hosted stack that connects traces, topology, metrics, logs, profiles, and alerts.9.4
- JaegerA flexible self-hosted tracer for teams that need control over sampling and storage.9.2
- SigNozFull-stack tracing and observability with a free edition and $49 monthly Teams tier.9.1
See all Sematext Tracing alternatives →
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The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Sematext Tracing for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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