Understanding Grafana pricing

Grafana offers both free and paid options for data visualization and monitoring:

Option	Cost	Best for	Key Features
Open Source	Free	Small teams, DIY projects	Basic dashboards, queries, alerts
Cloud Free	Free	Small projects, up to 3 users	10k metrics, 50GB logs/traces, 14-day retention
Cloud Pro	Paid	Growing teams	No limits, 5 users, 30-day retention, 8x5 support
Cloud Advanced	Paid	Large teams, enterprises	No limits, 10 users, 24/7 support, enterprise plugins
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Large organizations	Advanced security, custom features, dedicated support

Main pricing factors:

Data amount and storage time
Number of users
Required features and integrations
Support level needed

To choose the right plan:

Assess your current needs
Consider future growth
Evaluate support requirements
Compare costs vs. benefits

Regularly review your Grafana usage and pricing to optimize costs and ensure you have the right features for your needs.

Grafana deployment options

Grafana offers three main ways to set up and use its platform:

Open Source (Grafana OSS)

Grafana OSS is a free, open-source option that lets users:

Make custom dashboards
Query and show data
Set up alerts

It's good for:

Small to medium teams
Projects that need lots of customization
Users who want full control

Grafana Cloud

Grafana Cloud is a managed service that:

Runs in the cloud
Is easy to set up and use
Takes care of backups and updates

It fits well for:

Teams that don't want to manage their own servers
Organizations that need a scalable solution

Grafana Enterprise

Grafana Enterprise is a paid version with extra features like:

Advanced security
Better teamwork tools
24/7 support

It's best for:

Large companies
Complex data needs
Users who want guaranteed help and protection

Comparing options

Here's a quick look at how the options stack up:

Feature	Open Source	Cloud	Enterprise
Cost	Free	Paid	Paid
Setup	DIY	Easy	Can be complex
Management	Self-managed	Managed for you	Self-managed or vendor-managed
Support	Community	Basic included	24/7 pro support
Best for	Small teams, DIY projects	Teams wanting easy setup	Large orgs, complex needs

Choose based on your team size, budget, and how much help you need running Grafana.

Grafana Cloud pricing tiers

Grafana Cloud offers four pricing tiers to fit different needs and budgets. Here's a breakdown of each tier:

Tier	Best for	Key Features
Free	Small teams, basic projects	• 10k metrics limit • 50GB logs/traces storage • Up to 3 users • 14-day data retention
Pro Pay As You Go	Growing teams	• No limits on metrics/storage • Up to 5 users • 30-day data retention • 8x5 support
Advanced Premium Bundle	Large teams, enterprises	• No limits on metrics/storage • Up to 10 users • 30-day data retention • 24x7 support • Enterprise plugins
Enterprise Scale	Large-scale enterprises	• No limits on metrics/storage/users • Custom data retention • Dedicated 24x7 support • Enterprise plugins and custom features

Free tier

The free tier is good for small teams starting out. It gives you:

A cap of 10,000 metrics
Up to 50GB for logs and traces
Room for 3 users
Data kept for 14 days

Pro Pay As You Go tier

This tier fits teams that are getting bigger. You get:

No caps on metrics or storage
Space for up to 5 users
Data kept for 30 days
Support during business hours

Advanced Premium Bundle tier

For big teams that need more, this tier offers:

No caps on metrics or storage
Room for up to 10 users
Data kept for 30 days
Round-the-clock support
Access to special enterprise tools

Enterprise Scale tier

This top-level tier is for the biggest companies. It includes:

No limits on metrics, storage, or users
Custom options for how long to keep data
Your own support team, always on call
All enterprise tools and custom features

Pick the tier that fits your team's size and needs. You can always change later if your needs grow or shrink.

Main parts of Grafana Cloud pricing

Grafana Cloud pricing has several key parts. Here's a simple breakdown:

Pricing Component	Description	Free Tier	Pro & Advanced Tiers	Enterprise Scale Tier
Metrics	Based on active series and data points per minute	10,000 series limit	No limits	Custom pricing
Logs	Based on storage amount	50GB limit	No limits	Custom pricing
Traces	Based on storage amount	50GB limit	No limits	Custom pricing
Grafana Visualization	Included in overall pricing	Included	Included	Included
Profiles	Based on number of profiles	2232 app o11y host hours	No limits	Custom pricing
Incident Response & Management	Included in overall pricing	Included	Included	Included
Application Observability	Included in overall pricing	Included	Included	Included
Frontend Observability	Included in overall pricing	Included	Included	Included
Synthetic Monitoring	Based on number of checks	Limited checks	No limits	Custom pricing
k6 Performance Testing	Based on number of tests	Limited tests	No limits	Custom pricing

Key points:

The Free tier has limits on most components
Pro and Advanced tiers often remove these limits
Enterprise Scale offers custom pricing for all components
Some features are included in the overall pricing with no extra costs

Understanding these pricing parts helps you pick the right plan for your needs and budget.

How billing and usage work

Billing cycles explained

Grafana Cloud bills you monthly for what you use. This makes it easy to:

Track your costs
Plan your budget
Pay only for what you need

How usage is calculated

Grafana Cloud measures your use based on:

Type	Measurement
Metrics	Active series and data points per minute
Logs	Storage amount
Traces	Storage amount

This system lets you adjust your use as needed.

Checking subscription details

You can see your subscription info in the Grafana Cloud console, including:

Billing cycle
Usage
Costs

This helps you understand and manage your spending.

Looking at costs

The Grafana Cloud console shows:

Monthly metrics use
Cost breakdowns

This info helps you:

Spot which metrics cost the most
Make smart choices about your data use

Ways to manage costs

Finding cost sources

Grafana Cloud helps you see where your money goes. You can:

Check your monthly metrics use and costs
Track how much you're spending
Find out which metrics cost the most

This helps you answer questions like:

How much am I spending each month?
Am I using all the money I set aside?
Which parts of my system cost the most?

Assigning costs to teams or projects

Once you know where costs come from, you can link them to specific teams or projects. This shows how different parts of your company affect your total bill.

Grafana Cloud uses "usage groups" to help you do this. These groups track how many time series have certain labels over time. This shows you how different teams, environments, or apps add to your total series count.

Reducing costs

Here are some ways to lower your Grafana Cloud costs:

Method	Description
Change scrape intervals	Collect data less often
Use Adaptive Metrics	Find and remove unused metrics
Manage cardinality	Identify and fix high-cost metrics and labels

Tracking and predicting costs

To avoid surprises, it's important to keep an eye on your costs and guess future spending. Grafana Cloud gives you tools to:

Predict future metrics growth
Set up alerts for high usage
Create custom budget alerts

This helps you take action early to control costs and avoid unexpected high bills.

Grafana Enterprise pricing

Custom pricing model

Grafana Enterprise uses a custom pricing model. This means:

Prices change based on what each company needs
You pay for the features you use
There are no set price tiers

This helps companies avoid paying for things they don't need.

Main features and benefits

Grafana Enterprise has extra features not in the free version:

Feature	What it does
Role-based access	Control who can do what in Grafana
Data source limits	Set rules for who can query data
Reporting	Make PDF reports and send them by email
Custom look	Add your company logo and colors
Usage tracking	See how people use your Grafana
Vault integration	Keep secrets safe with Vault
Auditing	Track changes for rules and safety

These features help big companies:

Keep their data safe
Change Grafana to fit their needs
Follow rules about data use

The custom pricing lets companies pick what they need. This can help save money while getting the right tools.

What affects Grafana pricing

Grafana pricing depends on several key factors:

Data amount and storage time

The more data you store and the longer you keep it, the higher the cost. Grafana Cloud offers different storage options, with prices going up as you store more data.

Number of users

More users mean higher costs. This is because Grafana needs to handle more requests and provide more resources as user numbers grow.

Needed features and connections

The features and connections you need can change your price. Here's a quick look at how:

Factor	Effect on Price
Basic features	Lower cost
Advanced features (e.g., role-based access)	Higher cost
Few data source connections	Lower cost
Many data source connections	Higher cost
Standard integrations	Lower cost
Custom integrations	Higher cost

Support level

The type of support you want affects your price:

Support Type	Price Impact
Basic support	Lower cost
Priority support	Higher cost
Dedicated technical account manager	Higher cost
Custom support plans	Higher cost

More support means more resources from Grafana, which leads to higher prices.

How to choose the right Grafana plan

Picking the best Grafana plan involves looking at your needs, budget, and future plans. Here's how to do it:

Figure out what you need

Make a list of what you must have and what would be nice to have. Think about:

Factor	Questions to Ask
Data storage	How much data do you need to keep? For how long?
Features	Do you need special tools like role-based access?
Users	How many people will use Grafana?
Connections	What data sources do you need to link to?

Plan for growth

Think about what you might need later. Ask yourself:

Will you add more users soon?
Might you need more advanced tools in the future?
Could your data needs grow quickly?

Choose a plan that can grow with you and change if needed.

Think about help and training

Decide how much support you need:

Support Level	What You Get
Basic	Help during business hours
Priority	Faster help, often 24/7
Dedicated	Your own support person

Also, think about whether you need help learning to use Grafana.

Common questions about pricing

FAQ

Here are some common questions about Grafana pricing:

Question	Answer
Is Grafana completely free?	No, Grafana has a free tier with limits and paid plans with more features.
Is Grafana free or paid?	Both. There's a free tier and paid plans.
Do I have to pay for Grafana?	You only pay if you need more than the free tier offers.
What's the difference between Grafana OSS and Enterprise Edition?	OSS is open-source and free. Enterprise is paid with extra features and support.
Is Grafana free for enterprise use?	No, large companies usually need a paid plan for their needs.

These are just a few key questions about Grafana pricing. For more details, check the official Grafana website.

Conclusion

Main points covered

This article explained key parts of Grafana pricing:

Topic	What We Covered
Deployment options	Ways to set up Grafana
Pricing tiers	Available plans and costs
Cloud pricing parts	Main elements of cloud-based pricing
Billing and usage	How Grafana charges for its services
Cost management	Tips to keep expenses down
Pricing factors	What affects the cost of using Grafana

We also answered common questions about pricing and gave tips on picking the right plan.

Why you should check pricing often

It's smart to look at Grafana pricing regularly because:

Your needs might change as your team grows
You might need different features over time
Checking can help you save money
You can make sure you're using Grafana in the best way

By staying up-to-date on Grafana's pricing and what it offers, you can:

Keep your costs low
Make good choices about what to use
Get the most out of Grafana for your team

FAQs

Is Grafana completely free?

No, Grafana is not completely free. It offers:

Free Tier	Paid Plans
10k metrics	More metrics
50GB logs	More storage
50GB traces	More features
3 active users	More users
14-day data retention	Longer retention

Is Grafana free or paid?

Grafana has both free and paid options:

Free Option	Paid Options
Grafana Cloud free tier	Grafana Cloud paid plans
Limited features	More features
Usage limits	Higher usage limits

Do I have to pay for Grafana?

You don't have to pay if:

You use the free tier
You stay within free tier limits

You need to pay if:

You need more features
You exceed free tier limits

What is the difference between Grafana OSS and Enterprise Edition?

Grafana OSS	Grafana Enterprise
Open-source	Commercial
Basic features	Extra features
Community support	Professional support
Free	Paid

Is Grafana free for enterprise use?

Grafana is not free for most enterprise use:

Plan	Cost	Features
Cloud Pro (without Enterprise plugins)	$8 per active user/month	Basic enterprise features
Cloud Pro (with Enterprise plugins)	$55 per active user/month	Full enterprise features

Enterprises usually need paid plans for their requirements.