The main difference between Grafana, Better Stack, and CubeAPM lies in observability scope and cost predictability. Grafana provides modular visualization through its LGTM stack, Better Stack integrates incident management with OpenTelemetry-based logs and traces, while CubeAPM unifies MELT visibility—Metrics, Events, Logs, and Traces—into one OpenTelemetry-native platform.

As telemetry data scales, teams are realizing that modular or credit-based pricing adds complexity and unpredictable bills. Tools like Grafana and Better Stack often require separate charges or add-ons for complete visibility, prompting a shift toward unified ingestion-based platforms that simplify cost management.

CubeAPM offers predictable pricing at $0.15/GB, with smart sampling (≈95% compression) and zero egress costs through self-host or BYOC deployment. It consolidates APM, infrastructure, RUM, and synthetic monitoring into one platform—giving teams full data control, transparent costs, and faster troubleshooting.

Grafana vs Better Stack vs CubeAPM Comparison

Grafana vs BetterStack vs CubeAPM: Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

Here’s how Grafana, Better Stack, and CubeAPM compare across key observability capabilities — from agent compatibility and MELT depth to pricing, retention, and support responsiveness.

Multi-Agent Support

CubeAPM is one of the few observability platforms with true multi-agent compatibility, supporting OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Datadog, New Relic, and Elastic agents. This lets teams migrate without re-instrumenting code and unify telemetry from mixed environments under one backend.

Grafana offers broad plugin and exporter flexibility but relies mainly on OpenTelemetry and Prometheus integrations. It can connect to other data sources through community exporters, yet lacks native multi-agent ingestion.

Better Stack supports only OpenTelemetry Collectors and SDKs for data ingestion. While setup is simple, it doesn’t qualify as multi-agent since it can’t directly receive data from third-party APM agents.

MELT Coverage

CubeAPM provides complete MELT visibility — Metrics, Events, Logs, and Traces — with APM, infrastructure, RUM, and synthetic monitoring in one platform. This eliminates tool sprawl and improves correlation across telemetry types.

Grafana achieves MELT coverage using multiple LGTM components (Loki, Grafana, Tempo, Mimir). The stack is powerful but modular, requiring configuration and cost management for each layer.

Better Stack handles logs, traces, and metrics well but lacks native RUM and synthetic monitoring. It’s ideal for lightweight telemetry needs but not full-stack observability.

Deployment Options

CubeAPM supports SaaS and Self-Host/BYOC deployment, ensuring data stays in your own cloud and eliminating egress charges. It’s designed for teams that prioritize compliance and data control.

Grafana provides both managed Grafana Cloud and open-source self-hosting. Cloud simplifies setup but shifts data control to Grafana, while OSS gives flexibility at the cost of maintenance overhead.

Better Stack operates as a managed cloud service with optional S3 integration for long-term retention. It’s easy to deploy but lacks full control over telemetry residency.

Pricing and Cost for Different Team Sizes

Based on verified vendor pricing, CubeAPM offers the most predictable cost model at $0.15/GB ingestion — transparent, unified, and consistent across all telemetry types. Below is an estimated cost comparison for small, medium, and large teams.

Cost for Small Teams (~30 hosts)

• CubeAPM: $2,080/month
• Grafana: $3,870/month
• Better Stack: $5,723/month

Cost for Mid-Sized Teams (~125 hosts)

• CubeAPM: $7,200/month
• Grafana: $11,875/month
• Better Stack: $20,550/month

Cost for Large Teams (~250 hosts)

• CubeAPM: $15,200/month
• Grafana: $26,750/month
• Better Stack: $43,350/month

Teams migrating to CubeAPM typically see 60–80% lower total cost of ownership compared to modular Grafana Cloud or bundle-based Better Stack pricing.

CubeAPM: Cost for Small, Medium, and Large Teams

CubeAPM keeps pricing simple — $0.15 per GB of ingested data covering logs, metrics, traces, and events. There are no hidden fees for users, infrastructure, or retention. This predictable structure makes CubeAPM ideal for engineering teams that want cost stability without paying extra for scale, data localization, or compliance.

CubeAPM Pricing

• Pricing: $0.15/GB ingested

Estimated Monthly Costs

• Small (~30 hosts): $2,080
• Mid (~125 hosts): $7,200
• Large (~250 hosts): $15,200

Organizations switching from Grafana Cloud or Better Stack often save up to 70% on observability costs while maintaining full ownership of their telemetry data.

Grafana Cloud: Cost for Small, Medium, and Large Teams

Grafana follows a modular pricing approach where each product (logs, traces, metrics) is billed separately. While this gives flexibility to scale individual components, it quickly increases cost as data volumes grow.

Grafana Cloud Pricing

• Logs: $0.50/GB ingested
• Traces: $0.50/GB ingested
• Base Plan: $19/month (Pro)

Estimated Monthly Costs

• Small (~30 hosts): $3,870
• Mid (~125 hosts): $11,875
• Large (~250 hosts): $26,750

Grafana’s pay-as-you-go design works for teams focused on dashboards and visualization but becomes difficult to manage at multi-terabyte scale.

Better Stack: Cost for Small, Medium, and Large Teams

Better Stack uses a bundle-based model that combines logs, traces, and metrics with optional incident management. It’s simple for small teams but scales unevenly, as retention and data overages add up at higher ingest volumes.

Better Stack Pricing

• Logs/Traces: $0.10/GB ingest
• Retention: $0.05/GB-month
• Bundles: Start at $30/month

Estimated Monthly Costs

• Small (~30 hosts): $5,723
• Mid (~125 hosts): $20,550
• Large (~250 hosts): $43,350

While Better Stack offers a modern incident response workflow, its pricing can become unpredictable as data retention and bundled limits expand with team size.

Sampling Strategy

CubeAPM uses Smart Sampling (≈95% compression), dynamically retaining latency and error-heavy traces while reducing noise. This keeps high-value data accessible without driving up storage or ingestion cost.

Grafana relies on head or tail-based sampling through Alloy and Tempo. It’s flexible but demands manual tuning to achieve efficient data reduction.

Better Stack provides adjustable log sampling through the OTel Collector. It’s basic yet effective for controlling data flow in smaller environments.

Data Retention

CubeAPM offers unlimited retention, with all data stored inside the user’s cloud. This supports compliance, auditability, and long-term analytics without egress cost.

Grafana retains data for 14 days on Free, 30 days on Pro, and longer durations under Enterprise plans. Extending retention often increases storage cost per module.

Better Stack includes 30-day log retention and 13-month metric retention in bundles, with optional S3 storage for extended history. It’s convenient but adds recurring retention fees.

Support & TAT

CubeAPM provides direct Slack and WhatsApp access to core engineers with response times measured in minutes. This fast feedback loop helps teams resolve performance issues before they escalate.

Grafana offers community and email-based support for Free/Pro users and paid SLAs for Enterprise. Resolution times vary widely depending on tier and complexity.

Better Stack integrates support directly into its incident workflows via Slack and Teams. While convenient, it prioritizes incident alerts over real-time technical troubleshooting.

Known For

CubeAPM is known for OpenTelemetry-native architecture, predictable pricing, and complete data control through BYOC deployment. It’s favored by enterprises seeking unified observability with compliance and cost transparency.

Grafana stands out for its visualization depth and plugin ecosystem, ideal for teams already managing Prometheus or OTel pipelines. However, achieving full MELT coverage requires multiple paid modules.

Better Stack focuses on modern incident response with lightweight log and trace visibility. It suits startups or small teams that value simplicity over deep custom observability.

Which Tool Is Best for You? Why Brands Choose CubeAPM

CubeAPM is built for teams that need deep, OpenTelemetry-native observability with complete ownership of their data and a pricing model that never surprises. It brings together Metrics, Events, Logs, and Traces (MELT) under one system that covers APM, infrastructure, RUM, and synthetic monitoring — replacing fragmented, multi-vendor setups with one unified platform.

Benefits of Choosing CubeAPM

• Predictable pricing: A single, transparent rate of $0.15 per GB for all telemetry types — logs, traces, metrics, and events.
• Smart sampling efficiency: CubeAPM’s adaptive sampling filters out low-value data and keeps what matters most, achieving up to 95% compression without losing diagnostic detail.
• End-to-end MELT observability: View application performance, infrastructure health, and real user experience in one correlated interface for faster troubleshooting.
• Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC): Host CubeAPM within your own cloud or on-prem setup to retain full data sovereignty and meet regional compliance requirements.
• Unlimited retention: Store observability data as long as needed for audits, SLA tracking, and long-term performance analysis without additional storage tiers.
• Broad agent compatibility: Works natively with OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Datadog, and New Relic agents, making migration seamless across hybrid environments.
• API-first design: Access or automate any telemetry stream through open APIs — flexible, secure, and integration-ready.
• Fast, engineer-to-engineer support: Get real-time help through Slack or WhatsApp directly from CubeAPM specialists, minimizing mean time to resolution.
• Designed for scale: A lightweight ingestion layer and high-compression pipeline keep performance consistent and costs predictable — even at multi-terabyte data volumes.

Grafana vs Better Stack vs CubeAPM: Use Cases

Each platform targets different stages of observability maturity. Here’s when teams typically choose Grafana, Better Stack, or CubeAPM, based on environment scale, data control needs, and pricing flexibility.

Choose CubeAPM if:

You need end-to-end observability (MELT) across APM, infrastructure, logs, RUM, and synthetic monitoring — all within one OpenTelemetry-native platform. CubeAPM fits mid-size to enterprise teams that demand predictable pricing ($0.15/GB), smart sampling (~95% compression), and zero egress costs with full data ownership.
It’s the best choice for organizations seeking compliance, scalability, and long-term cost control, while eliminating the need to stitch multiple observability tools together.

Choose Grafana if:

You’re already invested in Prometheus or OpenTelemetry pipelines and need advanced dashboarding and visualization. Grafana Cloud works well for SRE and DevOps teams that monitor performance metrics and visualize complex data sources.
It’s best for organizations that value custom dashboards, modular flexibility, and plugin support, but can handle per-module pricing and configuration overhead at larger scales.

Choose Better Stack if:

You want a lightweight, incident-focused observability suite that combines logging, tracing, and uptime monitoring. Better Stack is ideal for startups and agile DevOps teams that need quick setup, modern UI, and integrated alerting via Slack or Teams.
However, its bundle-based pricing and limited self-hosting make it less suited for enterprises with strict data residency or compliance requirements.

Conclusion

Grafana, Better Stack, and CubeAPM each solve observability in their own way. Grafana focuses on dashboards and visualization flexibility, Better Stack simplifies uptime and incident management, while CubeAPM unifies the entire MELT stack for end-to-end visibility.

As data volumes grow, modular and per-stream pricing models quickly become unpredictable. Teams are moving toward unified, OpenTelemetry-based platforms that deliver transparency, control, and scalability — all without vendor lock-in.

CubeAPM combines the advantages of both approaches — deep APM visibility, infrastructure insights, real-user monitoring, and synthetics — all within a single backend. With predictable $0.15/GB pricing, smart sampling, and self-host or BYOC deployment, it’s the most balanced choice for teams seeking observability that’s powerful, compliant, and cost-stable at scale.