Braintrust vs OpenTelemetry: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Braintrust and OpenTelemetry? Both are popular llm observability & evals tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Quick verdict
Both Braintrust and OpenTelemetry are strong llm observability & evals choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences.
Braintrust vs OpenTelemetry — Side by Side
| Braintrust | OpenTelemetry | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | LLM Observability & Evals | LLM Observability & Evals |
| Pricing | Free · paid from $249/mo | Free |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Rating | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Best for | LLM Observability & Evals — llm, evals | LLM Observability & Evals — observability, tracing |
Pros & Cons
- Strongest eval and experiment workflow in the category
- Unlimited users, so PMs and domain experts can review outputs
- Generous startup program
- $0 to $249 is a steep step with nothing in between
- Closed source, and only Enterprise can self-host
- Short default retention on both self-serve plans
- No vendor lock-in: switch backends without re-instrumenting
- One trace spans your API, database and model calls
- Every serious observability vendor accepts OTLP
- Apache 2.0 licensed, CNCF governed
- No UI, evals or prompt management of its own
- You still have to pick and pay for (or run) a backend
- GenAI conventions are still evolving, so attribute names can shift
Key Features Compared
Braintrust
- 5 GB processed data (+$3/GB)
- 50k scores (+$1.50 / 1k)
- 30-day retention
- Unlimited users
- 6–12 months free for qualifying startups
OpenTelemetry
- SDKs for every major language
- OpenTelemetry Collector for routing and sampling
- GenAI semantic conventions for LLM, agent and MCP spans
- Export to any OTLP-compatible backend
Choose Braintrust if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- Strongest eval and experiment workflow in the category
- Unlimited users, so PMs and domain experts can review outputs
- Generous startup program
Choose OpenTelemetry if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- No vendor lock-in: switch backends without re-instrumenting
- One trace spans your API, database and model calls
- Every serious observability vendor accepts OTLP
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Braintrust better than OpenTelemetry?⌄
Both Braintrust and OpenTelemetry are strong llm observability & evals choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences.
What is the difference between Braintrust and OpenTelemetry?⌄
Braintrust — Eval-first AI observability with unlimited users on every plan. It is priced on data processed and scores run, not seats. OpenTelemetry — The vendor-neutral standard for traces, metrics and logs, with GenAI conventions that describe LLM calls, agents and MCP in one shared schema. Both are llm observability & evals tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
Braintrust vs OpenTelemetry: which is cheaper?⌄
Braintrust pricing: Free · paid from $249/mo. OpenTelemetry pricing: Free. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, Braintrust or OpenTelemetry?⌄
In our catalog, Braintrust rates 4.6 out of 5 and OpenTelemetry rates 4.6 out of 5 — they are evenly matched.
See more options in our guide to the best llm observability & evals tools for startups.
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