Bugsnag vs New Relic: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Bugsnag and New Relic? Both are popular monitoring & observability 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 are solid monitoring & observability options. Bugsnag is cheaper to start, but the right choice depends on the specific features and integrations you need.
Bugsnag vs New Relic — Side by Side
| Bugsnag | New Relic | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Observability | Monitoring & Observability |
| Pricing | From $65/mo | From $99/mo |
| Starting price | From $65/mo | From $99/mo |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Rating | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Best for | Monitoring & Observability — errors, mobile | Monitoring & Observability — apm, observability |
Pros & Cons
- Stability scores make release decisions easy
- Strong mobile SDKs
- Good grouping accuracy
- Pricier than Sentry at small volumes
- Now part of SmartBear
- 100GB of free ingest every month
- Covers APM, logs and infrastructure
- One full user included free
- Per-user pricing beyond the first
- Ingest overages are easy to trigger
Key Features Compared
Bugsnag
- Error capture and grouping
- Alerting to Slack and email
- Release and regression tracking
- Performance monitoring
New Relic
- Error capture and grouping
- Alerting to Slack and email
- Release and regression tracking
- Performance monitoring
Choose Bugsnag if…
- Budget is tight — paid plans start lower ($65/mo vs $99/mo).
- Stability scores make release decisions easy
- Strong mobile SDKs
- Good grouping accuracy
Choose New Relic if…
- 100GB of free ingest every month
- Covers APM, logs and infrastructure
- One full user included free
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bugsnag better than New Relic?⌄
Both are solid monitoring & observability options. Bugsnag is cheaper to start, but the right choice depends on the specific features and integrations you need.
What is the difference between Bugsnag and New Relic?⌄
Bugsnag — Error monitoring with release health and stability scores. New Relic — Full-stack observability with a large free ingest allowance. Both are monitoring & observability tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
Bugsnag vs New Relic: which is cheaper?⌄
Bugsnag pricing: From $65/mo. New Relic pricing: From $99/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, Bugsnag or New Relic?⌄
In our catalog, Bugsnag rates 4.0 out of 5 and New Relic rates 4.1 out of 5, so New Relic has a slight edge on reviews.
See more options in our guide to the best monitoring & observability tools for startups.
Still not sure which to pick?
Get a free, AI-powered tech stack — including the best monitoring & observability pick for your budget and team — in 60 seconds.
Build my stack free