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Bugsnag vs New Relic 2026: Error Tracking vs Full-Stack APM

Bugsnag specializes in error and crash reporting with lightweight SDK integration, while New Relic offers comprehensive full-stack observability including APM, infrastructure monitoring, and log management. New Relic provides broader monitoring capabilities, whereas Bugsnag excels at focused error tracking with faster deployment.

B

Bugsnag

Error and crash reporting platform for detecting and debugging production issues in real-time.

Development teams, startups, and companies that prioritize lightweight error tracking without broader observability needs.

Score67%
VS
NR

New Relic

Full-stack observability platform providing APM, infrastructure monitoring, logs, and synthetic monitoring.

Enterprise organizations, microservices architectures, and teams needing unified visibility across entire technology stacks.

Score67%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Bugsnag specializes in error and crash reporting with lightweight SDK integration, while New Relic offers comprehensive full-stack observability including APM, infrastructure monitoring, and log management. New Relic provides broader monitoring capabilities, whereas Bugsnag excels at focused error tracking with faster deployment.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Bugsnag if you need lightweight error tracking, fast implementation, and lower infrastructure costs for development/QA teams. Choose New Relic if you require comprehensive observability across applications, infrastructure, databases, and logs with advanced analytics and enterprise-grade features.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

B
Bugsnag
8/10
New Relic
7/10
N
B

Choose Bugsnag if

Best pick

Development teams, startups, and companies that prioritize lightweight error tracking without broader observability needs.

N

Choose New Relic if

Enterprise organizations, microservices architectures, and teams needing unified visibility across entire technology stacks.

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Primary Focus:New Relic wins(Full-stack observability (APM, infrastructure, logs, synthetics) vs Error & crash reporting)
  • Supported Languages/Frameworks:New Relic wins(40+ (JavaScript, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, Go, .NET, Node.js, plus custom instrumentation) vs 20+ (JavaScript, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, Go, .NET, React Native, iOS, Android, etc.))
  • SDK Size (JavaScript):Bugsnag wins(~15 KB gzipped vs ~35 KB gzipped)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

80 numeric metrics compared

MetricBugsnagNew RelicRatio
Free Tier Event Quota(events/month)50,000100
Minimum Paid Plan Price(USD/month)$29
Data Retention (Free Tier)(days/months)7 days30 days (logs), 365 days (metrics)
Session Replay Pixel Fidelity(percent accurate)95%
Mobile Platform SDKs(platforms supported)15+
Alert Response Time (Median)(seconds)<3 seconds
Free Tier Monthly Events(events)50,000
Pro Plan Starting Price (Annual)(USD/month)$49
Free Tier Monthly Error Events(events)50,000
Supported Languages & Frameworks(count)50+25+
Average Integration Time(minutes)7
Cost per Event (Enterprise)(USD)$0.03
Additional Backend Services Included(count)0 (error monitoring only)
Alert Delivery Speed(seconds)< 1 second
Entry-Level Paid Plan(USD/month)$29
Mid-Tier Plan (Growth)(USD/month)$299
Supported Integrations(count)32 integrations
On-Premise Minimum Cost(USD/month)$2,000 (Enterprise)
Dashboard Widget Types(count)8 types
Monthly Cost (Small Team)(USD)$29/month
Error Detection Latency(seconds)<1 second
Installation Size(MB)<100 MB (SDK)
Native Integrations(integrations)50+ integrations400+
Available Integrations(count)150+ integrations600+
Free Tier Data Retention(days)14 days7 days
Supported Programming Languages(count)20+35+
Free Tier Event Limit(events/month)7,500 events/month100 GB ingestion/month
Minimum Paid Plan Cost(USD/month)$29/month$99/month
Average Setup Time(days)7 minutes45 minutes
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$49
Integration Count(integrations)120+
Error Alert Latency(seconds)<2 seconds
Data Retention (Default)(days)90 days
Mobile SDKs Supported(platforms)iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter
Typical Enterprise Cost (Annual)(USD)$2,000-$5,000
SDK Size (JavaScript)(KB gzipped)~15 KB~35 KB
Base Monthly Price(USD)$99$99
Free Tier Events per Month(events)Limited trial onlyLimited trial only
Supported Languages/SDKs(count)25+ languages25+ languages
Session Replay Starting Tier(USD/month)$1,200+ (Enterprise tier)$1,200+ (Enterprise tier)
Setup Time (First Deploy)(minutes)45-60 minutes45-60 minutes
Native Integrations(count)600+600+
Metrics Data Retention(months)13 months13 months
Global Data Centers(locations)12+ regions12+ regions
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)$99$99
Setup Time for First Alert(minutes)2222
Data Retention (Free Plan)(days)77
Monthly Ingestion Cost per GB(USD)$0.25 - $0.50$0.25 - $0.50
Setup Time to Production(hours)15-30 minutes15-30 minutes
Maximum Data Volume per Cluster(TB)Multi-tenant SaaS limit (typically 50-500TB per org)Multi-tenant SaaS limit (typically 50-500TB per org)
Query Language Complexity (1-10 scale)(complexity rating)3 (NRQL - SQL-like, intuitive)3 (NRQL - SQL-like, intuitive)
Average Customer Onboarding Time(days)3-7 days3-7 days
Base Monthly Cost (100 GB/month)(USD)$3,000-5,000$3,000-5,000
Implementation Timeline(weeks)2-4 weeks2-4 weeks
Out-of-Box Integrations(count)700+700+
Average MTTR Improvement(percent reduction)35-45% reduction35-45% reduction
Max Data Retention (free tier)(days)7 days7 days
Monthly Platform Cost (100GB/month ingestion)(USD)$3,000-$9,900$3,000-$9,900
Supported Programming Languages (APM)(languages)10+ languages10+ languages
Mean Time To Resolution (MTTR) Improvement(percent reduction)30-40% faster (manual investigation)30-40% faster (manual investigation)
Setup Time for Multi-Service Environment(days)7-14 days (manual per service)7-14 days (manual per service)
Data Retention (Standard Plan)(days)30 days30 days
Free Trial Period(days)30 days + $100 credits30 days + $100 credits
User Satisfaction Score (G2 Reviews)(out of 5.0)4.6 stars (1,800+ reviews)4.6 stars (1,800+ reviews)
Minimum Monthly Cost (Small Org)(USD)$500-$800 typical (based on ~1-2 GB/day ingestion)$500-$800 typical (based on ~1-2 GB/day ingestion)
Data Source Integrations Available(count)~700 integrations (includes agents, APIs, partners)~700 integrations (includes agents, APIs, partners)
Supported APM Frameworks(count)900+ with automatic instrumentation900+ with automatic instrumentation
Setup Time for Basic Monitoring(days)1-2 hours (wizard-based, automatic)1-2 hours (wizard-based, automatic)
User Seats Included (Starter)(seats)Full team access included; per-user pricing optionalFull team access included; per-user pricing optional
Monthly Pricing (Starter Plan)(USD)$99$99
Implementation Time (Average)(minutes)52 minutes52 minutes
Third-Party Integrations(count)600+ integrations600+ integrations
Global Customer Base(customers)16,000+ customers16,000+ customers
Pre-Built Integrations(count)500+ integrations (AWS, Azure, GCP, Datadog, PagerDuty, Slack)500+ integrations (AWS, Azure, GCP, Datadog, PagerDuty, Slack)
API Call Rate Limit (Standard Plan)(calls per minute)600 calls/minute600 calls/minute
Customer Satisfaction (G2 Rating)(stars out of 5)4.6 stars (2,400+ reviews)4.6 stars (2,400+ reviews)
Starting Monthly Price(USD)$75$75
APM Transaction Sampling Interval(seconds)8 seconds8 seconds
Log Management Cost(USD per GB/month)$0.35$0.35
Average Implementation Time(weeks)3-4 days3-4 days

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

B
3Bugsnag
New Relic leads
NR
4New Relic
  • Primary Focus

    Bugsnag

    Error & crash reporting

    New Relic

    Full-stack observability (APM, infrastructure, logs, synthetics)(winner)

  • Supported Languages/Frameworks

    Bugsnag

    20+ (JavaScript, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, Go, .NET, React Native, iOS, Android, etc.)

    New Relic

    40+ (JavaScript, Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, Go, .NET, Node.js, plus custom instrumentation)(winner)

  • SDK Size (JavaScript)

    Bugsnag

    ~15 KB gzipped(winner)

    New Relic

    ~35 KB gzipped

  • Starting Price (Monthly)

    Bugsnag

    $0-$999+ (freemium model)(winner)

    New Relic

    $0-$2,000+ (freemium model with higher enterprise costs)

  • Data Retention (Free Tier)

    Bugsnag

    7 days

    New Relic

    7-30 days depending on data type(winner)

  • API Endpoints Tracked per Hour

    Bugsnag

    Unlimited (error-focused)(winner)

    New Relic

    Scales with APM pricing tier

  • Real User Monitoring (RUM)

    Bugsnag

    Basic browser performance monitoring

    New Relic

    Advanced RUM with session replay and custom attributes(winner)

Full Comparison

BBugsnag
NNew Relic
Free Tier Event Quota(events/month)
50,000
100
Free Tier Monthly Events(events)
50,000
Free Tier Monthly Error Events(events)
50,000
Cost per Event (Enterprise)(USD)
$0.03
Entry-Level Paid Plan(USD/month)
$29
Show 13 more attributes
Mid-Tier Plan (Growth)(USD/month)
$299
Monthly Cost (Small Team)(USD)
$29/month
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$49
Typical Enterprise Cost (Annual)(USD)
$2,000-$5,000
Base Monthly Price(USD)
$99
Free Tier Events per Month(events)
Limited trial only
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$0.30 per GB ingested
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)
$99
Monthly Ingestion Cost per GB(USD)
$0.25 - $0.50
Base Monthly Cost (100 GB/month)(USD)
$3,000-5,000
Monthly Pricing (Starter Plan)(USD)
$99
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$75
Log Management Cost(USD per GB/month)
$0.35
Minimum Paid Plan Price(USD/month)
$29
Data Retention (Free Tier)(days/months)
7 days
30 days (logs), 365 days (metrics)
Session Replay Pixel Fidelity(percent accurate)
95%
Distributed Tracing
Not available
Self-Hosting Support
Cloud-only SaaS
Mobile Session Replay(availability)
Native iOS/Android support
Show 21 more attributes
Session Replay Support
Native support with video replay
Real-time Alert Native Support
Native with custom rules
Breadcrumb Event Capture
Up to 100 events per crash
Dashboard Widget Types(count)
8 types
Production Monitoring(boolean)
Yes (primary focus)
Code Editing Capabilities(boolean)
No
APM (Application Performance Monitoring)
Basic APM with error tracking
Infrastructure Monitoring
Application errors only
Native (servers, containers, Kubernetes)
Session Replay Quality(pixel-perfect fidelity)
Basic session replay
Supported Programming Languages(count)
20+
35+
Session Replay Starting Tier(USD/month)
$1,200+ (Enterprise tier)
Log Aggregation Capability
Integrated with 100+ data sources
APM Specialization
Advanced profiling and error intelligence
Log Ingestion & Parsing
Solid core capabilities
Native Infrastructure Monitoring
Yes (native)
Integrated Log Management
Yes
Out-of-Box Integrations(count)
700+
Data Retention (Standard Plan)(days)
30 days
Kubernetes/Container Auto-Discovery(capability)
Supported via agents, requires configuration
Infrastructure Monitoring Included
Full coverage
AI-Powered Anomaly Detection
Advanced ML-based detection
Mobile Platform SDKs(platforms supported)
15+
Alert Response Time (Median)(seconds)
<3 seconds
Alert Delivery Speed(seconds)
< 1 second
Error Detection Latency(seconds)
<1 second
Installation Size(MB)
<100 MB (SDK)
Error Alert Latency(seconds)
<2 seconds
Show 1 more attribute
Mean Time To Resolution (MTTR) Improvement(percent reduction)
30-40% faster (manual investigation)
Pro Plan Starting Price (Annual)(USD/month)
$49
Free Tier Event Limit(events/month)
7,500 events/month
100 GB ingestion/month
Minimum Paid Plan Cost(USD/month)
$29/month
$99/month
Error Grouping Method
AI/ML-powered (automatic learning)
Source Map Processing
Automatic with obfuscation detection
Real User Monitoring (RUM)
Advanced with interaction tracking and performance metrics
AI Anomaly Detection(capability)
Built-in AI with predictive analysis and root cause identification
Supported Languages & Frameworks(count)
50+
25+
Supported Languages/SDKs(count)
25+ languages
Average Integration Time(minutes)
7
Additional Backend Services Included(count)
0 (error monitoring only)
Supported Integrations(count)
32 integrations
Available Integrations(count)
150+ integrations
600+
Integration Count(integrations)
120+
On-Premise Minimum Cost(USD/month)
$2,000 (Enterprise)
Implementation Timeline(weeks)
2-4 weeks
Average Implementation Time(weeks)
3-4 days
Session Replay Capability
Yes (automatic)
Native Integrations(integrations)
50+ integrations
400+
Native Integrations(count)
600+
Third-Party Integrations(count)
600+ integrations
Pre-Built Integrations(count)
500+ integrations (AWS, Azure, GCP, Datadog, PagerDuty, Slack)
Setup Time(minutes)
5-10 minutes
Average Setup Time(days)
7 minutes
45 minutes
Setup Time for First Alert(minutes)
22
Query Language Complexity (1-10 scale)(complexity rating)
3 (NRQL - SQL-like, intuitive)
Setup Time for Basic Monitoring(days)
1-2 hours (wizard-based, automatic)
Show 1 more attribute
Implementation Time (Average)(minutes)
52 minutes
Free Tier Data Retention(days)
14 days
7 days
Data Retention (Default)(days)
90 days
Metrics Data Retention(months)
13 months
Data Retention (Free Plan)(days)
7
Max Data Retention (free tier)(days)
7 days
Enterprise Security Features(count)
Basic authentication and data encryption
Mobile SDKs Supported(platforms)
iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter
SDK Size (JavaScript)(KB gzipped)
~15 KB
~35 KB
Setup Time (First Deploy)(minutes)
45-60 minutes
User Interface Intuitiveness
More intuitive, faster onboarding
Global Data Centers(locations)
12+ regions
Kubernetes Support
Good with cloud-native focus
Deployment Flexibility
Cloud-only SaaS (no self-hosted option)
Kubernetes Cluster Support(native vs requires config)
Native (full instrumentation out-of-box)
Setup Time to Production(hours)
15-30 minutes
Average Customer Onboarding Time(days)
3-7 days
Maximum Data Volume per Cluster(TB)
Multi-tenant SaaS limit (typically 50-500TB per org)
Deployment Options
SaaS only (cloud-hosted)
Code-Level Instrumentation Depth(null)
Method-level profiling
Automatic Anomaly Detection(null)
Rule-based thresholds
Average MTTR Improvement(percent reduction)
35-45% reduction
Monthly Platform Cost (100GB/month ingestion)(USD)
$3,000-$9,900
Minimum Monthly Cost (Small Org)(USD)
$500-$800 typical (based on ~1-2 GB/day ingestion)
Supported Programming Languages (APM)(languages)
10+ languages
Setup Time for Multi-Service Environment(days)
7-14 days (manual per service)
Free Trial Period(days)
30 days + $100 credits
User Satisfaction Score (G2 Reviews)(out of 5.0)
4.6 stars (1,800+ reviews)
Data Source Integrations Available(count)
~700 integrations (includes agents, APIs, partners)
Supported APM Frameworks(count)
900+ with automatic instrumentation
Enterprise Support SLA(uptime %)
24/7 with 1-4 hour response SLA depending on tier
User Seats Included (Starter)(seats)
Full team access included; per-user pricing optional
Global Customer Base(customers)
16,000+ customers
API Call Rate Limit (Standard Plan)(calls per minute)
600 calls/minute
Code-Level Diagnostics Depth(granularity level)
Transaction tracing, error stack traces
Customer Satisfaction (G2 Rating)(stars out of 5)
4.6 stars (2,400+ reviews)
APM Transaction Sampling Interval(seconds)
8 seconds
Kubernetes Monitoring Capabilities(text)
Advanced cluster intelligence with pod diagnostics

Pros & Cons

12 pros·6 cons across both

B
NR
B

Bugsnag

+6-3

Pros

  • Lightweight SDK (15 KB gzipped) with minimal performance impact
  • Simple setup with 5-minute integration for most frameworks
  • Unlimited error tracking in free tier (7-day retention)
  • Excellent breadth of language/framework support (20+)
  • Real-time error notifications and alert routing
  • Source map integration and automatic stack trace enhancement

Cons

  • Limited to error/crash reporting without broader observability
  • No infrastructure monitoring or database query insights
  • Lower data retention even on premium plans (30-90 days max)
NR

New Relic

+6-3

Pros

  • Comprehensive observability across applications, infrastructure, and databases
  • Advanced APM with distributed tracing across 40+ languages
  • Infrastructure and Kubernetes monitoring built-in
  • Log aggregation and analysis with natural language querying
  • Session replay and real user monitoring with custom attributes
  • Extensive third-party integrations and data ingestion flexibility

Cons

  • Higher costs at scale, especially for high-volume data ingestion
  • Steeper learning curve for teams new to full-stack observability
  • Heavier SDK footprint (35 KB gzipped) compared to focused competitors

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Bugsnag focuses exclusively on error and crash reporting with lightweight SDK integration, while New Relic provides comprehensive full-stack observability including APM, infrastructure monitoring, logs, and synthetic testing. Choose Bugsnag for focused error tracking; choose New Relic for unified observability across your entire technology stack.

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