TL;DR: Sentry fits teams that want a published Developer free row (5k errors) and a Team plan at $26/mo when billed annually with default prepaid data. Rollbar and Bugsnag fit teams that will size error volume on those vendorsβ public grids. Datadog fits companies already buying Datadog modules and willing to add APM/error tracking on a quote rather than a $26 seat.
Error monitoring is the product that captures exceptions, groups them and alerts an owner. It is not a full observability suite, even when Datadog sells both.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, error allowance, adjacent products (replay, logs), free/trial and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Sentryβs printed $0 then $26 ladder sits first. Quote-led Datadog is last.
Error monitoring software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Included errors (published) | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentry | Developer free. Team $26/mo billed annually with default prepaid data. Business $80/mo same basis. Overages are per-error PAYG | Developer 5k errors. Team/Business 50k errors plus 5M spans, 50 replays, 5GB logs | App teams that want a public error ladder | Visit β |
| Rollbar | Free plus paid on rollbar.com/pricing | Volume brackets on that page | Teams already standardised on Rollbar grouping | Visit β |
| Bugsnag | Free plus paid on bugsnag.com/pricing | Event brackets on that page | Mobile-heavy teams that already use SmartBear/Bugsnag | Visit β |
| Datadog | Module list prices and quotes on datadoghq.com/pricing. Error tracking rides APM/RUM modules | Contract / module units | Companies already on Datadog | Visit β |
Sentry figures were read from sentry.io/pricing on 14 September 2026 ($26 Team annual with default prepaid data). Seer, the AI debugging agent, is called out as a subscription on that page β not as free Team.
One vendor prints $26. Two print their own volume grids. One is a platform quote.
Errors, spans and replays are different meters
A Team plan that βincludes 50k errorsβ still bills extra spans, replays and logs. Copying only the $26 line into a budget is how the first production incident becomes an overage surprise.
The four providers in detail
1. Sentry
PUBLIC $0 THEN $26 LADDER
Best for: engineering teams that want exception grouping, a printed prepaid envelope and optional replay/spans on the same bill.
| Published pricing | Developer free. Team $26/mo annual with default prepaid data. Business $80/mo same basis. Extra errors use reserved or PAYG tables on docs.sentry.io/pricing |
| Included envelope | Team: 50k errors, 5GB logs, 5M spans, 50 replays, 1 uptime and 1 cron monitor |
| AI / assist | Seer is a subscription on the pricing page, with credits, not a hidden Team feature |
| Free plan / trial | Developer 5k errors / 1 user. Trial on paid |
| Main limitation | 50 replays is not a replay product. Seer and PAYG errors are extra |
- Turn on quota alerts the same week you create the org.
- Do not enable replay on every session at 50 included replays.
- Compare Seerβs subscription to βa senior engineerβs time,β not to the $26 Team row.
2. Rollbar
VOLUME BRACKETS
Best for: teams whose runbooks already say βopen Rollbarβ and who will size the current occurrence cap.
| Published pricing | rollbar.com/pricing β Free plus paid occurrence brackets |
| Included envelope | Whatever the live bracket prints. Do not reuse a 2024 screenshot |
| AI / assist | Plan-gated if offered; not assumed in Free |
| Free plan / trial | Yes. Production apps usually leave it |
| Main limitation | Occurrence definition differs from Sentryβs βerror.β Align units before you compare $26 to Rollbarβs next seat |
- Export last monthβs occurrences and map them to Sentry errors before you switch.
- Source maps and mobile dSYMs are implementation work on every vendor.
- Stay if grouping quality is already trusted internally.
3. Bugsnag
MOBILE-HEAVY HISTORY
Best for: mobile and mixed stacks already in the SmartBear/Bugsnag world.
| Published pricing | bugsnag.com/pricing β Free plus paid event brackets |
| Included envelope | Live event cap per plan |
| AI / assist | Not a reason to pick Bugsnag over Sentry unless the grid lists it |
| Free plan / trial | Yes |
| Main limitation | If you also buy SmartBear extras, the invoice is no longer βBugsnag standaloneβ |
- Mobile crash symbolication is the evaluation, not the marketing page.
- Count events on the noisiest app, not the quietest.
- Do not run Bugsnag and Sentry on the same release βjust in case.β
4. Datadog
PLATFORM MODULE
Best for: companies that already pay Datadog and want errors next to APM and logs rather than a second vendor.
| Published pricing | datadoghq.com/pricing lists modules. Error tracking is not a $26 Sentry clone |
| Included envelope | Host, span and RUM units as contracted |
| AI / assist | Watchdog and related features follow the Datadog edition you buy |
| Free plan / trial | Trial. Not a 5k-error public Developer plan in the Sentry sense |
| Main limitation | You cannot honestly put Datadog under Sentry Team $26 without a scoped quote |
- If Datadog is already in the stack, adding Sentry is a second alert stream.
- Ask for error-tracking + APM + log index on one page.
- Do not shortlist Datadog to win a startup bake-off on list price.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
We are a small app team and want a public price
Sentry Developer, then Team at $26 annual when 5k errors is not enough.
We already live in Rollbar or Bugsnag
Stay unless grouping quality has failed. Switching error tools mid-incident history is expensive.
Datadog is already the observability bill
Add the Datadog module. Do not add Sentry unless engineering insists on Sentry workflows.
We need AI to draft fixes
Read Sentry Seerβs subscription line separately from Team $26.
Buying tip: take last monthβs exception count and last monthβs session-replay minutes. Price both. The $26 line never includes unlimited replay.
How this comparison was put together
Sentry pricing and docs, plus vendor pricing homepages, 14 September 2026. No paid placement. Kurums did not load-test SDKs.
Order is printed self-serve ladder first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sentry Team really $26?
That is the annual figure Sentry printed with default prepaid data on the check date. Monthly and extra errors change it.
Does Team include Seer?
The pricing page lists Seer as a subscription. Do not assume it is inside $26.
Can we self-host Sentry?
Self-hosted Sentry exists as a different ops path. This page is about the cloud SKUs.
Is this APM?
Error monitoring is the scope. Datadog APM is broader and priced as such.
Did we compare grouping quality?
No. Send the same week of production errors to a trial before you rip out the old tool.
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