Sentry vs New Relic
Sentry is application monitoring platform focused on error tracking, performance monitoring, and session replay, while New Relic is full-stack observability platform with APM, infrastructure, logs, and browser monitoring. The biggest difference up front: New Relic is free, while Sentry starts at $26/mo. Sentry is built for development teams that need to catch, triage, and fix errors quickly, whereas New Relic targets engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability.
| Feature | Sentry | New Relic |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | ✓ | — |
| APM | — | ✓ |
| Alerts | ✓ | — |
| Browser | — | ✓ |
| Error Tracking | ✓ | — |
| Infrastructure | — | ✓ |
| Logs | — | ✓ |
| Performance Monitoring | ✓ | — |
| Release Tracking | ✓ | — |
| Session Replay | ✓ | — |
| Synthetics | — | ✓ |
Pricing: New Relic is completely free (Free 100 GB/mo), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Sentry starts at $26/mo, but Free for 5K errors and 10K performance events/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.
Feature gaps: Sentry offers Alerts, Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring that New Relic lacks. New Relic brings APM, Browser and Infrastructure that Sentry does not have.
Team fit: Sentry is geared toward any size teams, while New Relic is aimed at enterprise teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.
Open source: Sentry is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. New Relic is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.
Where each tool shines: Sentry's biggest strengths are: best-in-class error tracking with detailed stack traces. session replay shows exactly what users experienced. New Relic's biggest strengths are: includes apm as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows. includes infrastructure as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows.
Watch out for: With Sentry, users commonly note that event-based pricing can get expensive with noisy apps. With New Relic, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.
choose Sentry if
- You need a tool built for development teams that need to catch, triage, and fix errors quickly
- You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
- You specifically need Alerts and Error Tracking
- You care about session replay shows exactly what users experienced
- Your team size fits the any size profile Sentry is designed for
choose New Relic if
- You need a tool built for engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability
- Budget is a hard constraint — New Relic is free, Sentry is not
- You specifically need APM and Browser
- You care about includes infrastructure as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows
- Your team size fits the enterprise profile New Relic is designed for
frequently asked
What is the difference between Sentry and New Relic?
Sentry is application monitoring platform focused on error tracking, performance monitoring, and session replay, while New Relic is full-stack observability platform with APM, infrastructure, logs, and browser monitoring. The biggest difference up front: New Relic is free, while Sentry starts at $26/mo. Sentry is built for development teams that need to catch, triage, and fix errors quickly, whereas New Relic targets engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability.
Should I use Sentry or New Relic?
New Relic is the free option; Sentry charges $26/mo but may offer more polish. Here is how they compare.
When should I choose Sentry over New Relic?
Choose Sentry if You need a tool built for development teams that need to catch, triage, and fix errors quickly; You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code; You specifically need Alerts and Error Tracking; You care about session replay shows exactly what users experienced; Your team size fits the any size profile Sentry is designed for.
When should I choose New Relic over Sentry?
Choose New Relic if You need a tool built for engineering teams wanting all-in-one observability; Budget is a hard constraint — New Relic is free, Sentry is not; You specifically need APM and Browser; You care about includes infrastructure as a core feature, purpose-built for monitoring workflows; Your team size fits the enterprise profile New Relic is designed for.
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