Chronosphere vs New Relic
Compare Chronosphere and New Relic on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
Chronosphere
Control-plane observability for high-cardinality Prometheus-class telemetry — contact sales / pilot (typically free 2–3 weeks). Does not outrank Datadog 8.6.
Best for
- • SRE teams drowning in Prometheus cardinality who will run a 2–3 week pilot
- • Buyers comparing Chronosphere control-plane quotes to Datadog module TCO
- • Estates that already speak PromQL rather than host-map onboarding
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
There is no universal winner between Chronosphere and New Relic. Choose Chronosphere when SRE teams drowning in Prometheus cardinality who will run a 2–3 week pilot. Choose New Relic when Teams that want APM + logs + infra in one ingest bill. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
New Relic is better for
- ✓ Free plan
Tie
- • Integrations
- • Security & admin
Choose Chronosphere if: SRE teams drowning in Prometheus cardinality who will run a 2–3 week pilot
Choose New Relic if: Teams that want APM + logs + infra in one ingest bill
New Relic
Observability — Free 100 GB ingest + 1 full user; Standard from $10 first full user then $99; data $0.40/GB after 100 GB; Pro $349/full user annual.
Best for
- • Teams that want APM + logs + infra in one ingest bill
- • Orgs that can live with 1–5 Standard full users
- • Buyers comparing usage-based observability to Datadog hosts
Starting from $10.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Pros & cons
A balanced look at where each product shines — and where it falls short.
Chronosphere
Strengths in greenCons
- Trails on free plan
Best for
SRE teams drowning in Prometheus cardinality who will run a 2–3 week pilot
New Relic
Trade-offs in redPros
- Stronger on free plan
Best for
Teams that want APM + logs + infra in one ingest bill
Choose if…
Choose Chronosphere if
- SRE teams drowning in Prometheus cardinality who will run a 2–3 week pilot
- Buyers comparing Chronosphere control-plane quotes to Datadog module TCO
- Estates that already speak PromQL rather than host-map onboarding
Choose New Relic if
- Teams that want APM + logs + infra in one ingest bill
- Orgs that can live with 1–5 Standard full users
- Buyers comparing usage-based observability to Datadog hosts
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