PagerDuty vs Prometheus
Updated June 2026 · A structured head-to-head comparison.
Open-source metrics and alerting.
The verdict
Both PagerDuty and Prometheus are credible monitoring tools, and the right pick comes down to your priorities.
Choose PagerDuty if you want broader platform coverage. Incident response and on-call.
Prometheus — Open-source metrics and alerting.
PagerDuty vs Prometheus: side by side
| Dimension | PagerDuty | Prometheus |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free – $21/user/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Open source |
| Best for | Devops Teams, Enterprise | Devops Teams, Developers |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, AndroidWinner | Self Hosted |
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.6/5 |
PagerDuty key facts
- Vendor
- PagerDuty
- Pricing
- Freemium — Free – $21/user/mo
- Free tier
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, Ios, Android
- Best for
- Devops Teams, Enterprise
- Editor rating
- 4.5 / 5
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA, USA
Prometheus key facts
- Vendor
- CNCF
- Pricing
- Open source — Free
- Free tier
- Yes
- Platforms
- Self Hosted
- Best for
- Devops Teams, Developers
- Editor rating
- 4.6 / 5
- Founded
- 2012
- Headquarters
- Open source (CNCF)
Frequently asked questions
Is PagerDuty better than Prometheus?
Neither is universally better — Prometheus edges ahead on overall rating, but the best choice depends on price, platforms, and your use case. See the side-by-side table above.
Is PagerDuty or Prometheus cheaper?
PagerDuty is the more affordable of the two to get started, at free – $21/user/mo. PagerDuty starts at free – $21/user/mo; Prometheus starts at free.
Can PagerDuty replace Prometheus?
Yes for most teams — both are monitoring tools with heavily overlapping features. The main trade-offs are pricing and platform support, covered in the comparison above.