Can TraceKit replace New Relic for my application?

For APM, distributed tracing, frontend error tracking, session replay, and production debugging -- yes. TraceKit covers the core observability needs of indie developers and small teams at a fraction of the cost. If you need vulnerability management, enterprise compliance features, or a 100 GB/month free tier to evaluate, New Relic may be the better starting point.

How does TraceKit pricing compare to New Relic?

TraceKit is $29/month flat for all features and unlimited users. New Relic charges $99/month per additional full platform user plus per-GB data ingest fees beyond the free tier. For a 3-person team, New Relic user fees alone are $297/month.

What is the difference between TraceKit's live code monitoring and New Relic CodeStream?

TraceKit's live code monitoring lets you set breakpoints in your running production code and capture variable state in real time. New Relic CodeStream is an IDE extension that brings observability data into your editor -- it is useful for code context but does not offer live production breakpoints.

Can I migrate from New Relic to TraceKit?

Yes. TraceKit is built on OpenTelemetry, the industry standard. If you are already using OpenTelemetry instrumentation, you can point your exporters to TraceKit with minimal changes. If you are using New Relic's proprietary agents, you will need to switch to OpenTelemetry SDKs.

Does New Relic have a better free tier than TraceKit?

New Relic's free tier is genuinely generous -- 100 GB/month of data ingest and one full platform user at no cost. TraceKit does not have a free tier but starts at $29/month with all features included and no per-user or per-GB limits. If you are a solo developer evaluating tools, New Relic's free tier is a great way to start.

Last updated: March 2026

TraceKit vs New Relic

New Relic is a full-platform observability suite with a generous free tier. TraceKit is the developer-first APM that gives you complete observability -- including frontend error tracking and session replay -- at a flat price with no per-user fees.

Full-Stack Observability -- Starting at $0.30/GB ingested

Feature Comparison

Feature	TraceKit	New Relic
Tracing
Distributed Tracing
Auto-Instrumentation	Yes (OpenTelemetry)	Yes (New Relic agents)
Trace Visualization	Waterfall + Flamegraph	Waterfall + Flamegraph
Monitoring
Live Code Monitoring	Yes -- breakpoints without redeploy	CodeStream (IDE-only, not production)
Custom Dashboards		Yes (extensive)
Alerting
Custom Metrics
Frontend Observability
Release Tracking	Yes (linked to traces)	Yes (deployments)
Source Maps	Yes (debug ID + upload CLI)	Yes (browser agent)
Session Replay	Yes (linked to traces)	Yes (browser agent)
Browser-to-Backend Traces	Yes (W3C traceparent)	Yes (browser + APM)
Platform
Security Scanning	Built-in	Yes (separate capability)
Vulnerability Management		Yes (built-in)
Setup Time	Under 5 minutes	10-20 minutes
Pricing
Pricing Model	$29/month flat	$99/user/month + per-GB data
All Features Included		No -- tiered (Standard/Pro/Enterprise)

Pricing Comparison

TraceKit

$29/month

Flat monthly

One price includes distributed tracing, live code monitoring, custom metrics, dashboards, alerts, and security scanning. No per-user fees.

Hidden costs: None. What you see is what you pay.

New Relic

Free tier (100 GB/month), then $99/additional full platform user

Per-user + per-GB

New Relic offers a generous free tier with 100 GB/month of data ingest and one full platform user. Additional full platform users cost $99/month each. Data beyond the free tier is billed at $0.30-$0.40/GB depending on data type.

Hidden costs: Per-user costs scale quickly with team growth. Data ingest charges can spike with high-throughput applications. Advanced features are gated behind Standard, Pro, and Enterprise tiers.

Pricing pain points with New Relic

3 full platform users on New Relic = $297/month in user fees alone
Data ingest beyond 100 GB/month is billed per-GB -- high-throughput apps can see surprise charges
Advanced features like vulnerability management require Pro or Enterprise tiers
Per-user pricing penalizes you for growing your team

Why teams switch to TraceKit

Live Code Monitoring

Set live breakpoints in production code and capture variable state without redeploying. New Relic's CodeStream is IDE-only -- it helps with code context but cannot set live breakpoints in running production code.

Pricing Simplicity

$29/month flat vs per-user + per-GB pricing. No surprise bills when your team grows or data volume spikes. Three developers on New Relic means $297/month in user fees alone.

All-in-One at Indie Scale

Everything included at one price. New Relic gates features behind Standard, Pro, and Enterprise tiers -- you need to upgrade to unlock the full platform.

Common New Relic pain points

Per-Seat Pricing Penalty

New Relic charges $99/month per additional full platform user. As your team grows, your APM bill grows with it -- even if your infrastructure stays the same.

Tier-Gated Features

The free tier is generous for getting started, but advanced capabilities like vulnerability management, compliance reporting, and extended retention require upgrading to Pro or Enterprise.

Data Ingest Complexity

Once you exceed the 100 GB/month free tier, per-GB billing kicks in at $0.30-$0.40/GB. High-throughput applications can generate unexpected data costs.

When New Relic might be a better fit

You need a generous free tier (100 GB/month) to get started without any commitment
You want built-in vulnerability management and security compliance features
You need full observability for a large enterprise with dedicated platform teams
You want AI-powered alerting and anomaly detection at enterprise scale

Frequently Asked Questions

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Pricing and feature information is based on publicly available data as of March 2026. Check New Relic's website for the latest.