OpenObserve vs SigNoz: Which Open Source Observability Platform Should You Choose? (2026)

OpenObserve and SigNoz are both open-source, OpenTelemetry-native observability platforms, differentiated primarily by their storage architectures. OpenObserve utilizes object storage, storing telemetry data as compressed Parquet files on services like S3, GCS, Azure Blob, or MinIO, which allows for stateless compute nodes and scalable, cost-effective long-term retention without re-provisioning disk space. Meanwhile, SigNoz employs ClickHouse on disk storage, which offers fast query performance but requires managing a database cluster, including handling merge pressure, async mutations, and combined scaling of compute and storage. OpenObserve is a single binary or container, simplifying deployment, while SigNoz involves a more complex multi-service stack. Both platforms support standard OpenTelemetry operations, but OpenObserve offers session replay and error tracking for RUM, unlike SigNoz, which only covers Web Vitals. Pricing models also differ; OpenObserve charges directly based on usage without data caps, whereas SigNoz offers a managed cloud service with a base usage credit. Migration between the two is relatively straightforward due to their OpenTelemetry compatibility, allowing users to switch by reconfiguring OpenTelemetry Collectors and adjusting queries and dashboards.

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