whichdb
vs

Grafana Tempo vs SigNoz

Grafana Tempo: Object-storage-backed distributed tracing backend with TraceQL search and trace-derived metrics. SigNoz: OpenTelemetry-native APM and observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces in ClickHouse.

key differences

  • Licensing: Grafana Tempo is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0); SigNoz is open source (permissive) (MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory).
  • Grafana Tempo is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than SigNoz (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only SigNoz has joins, json, role-based access.

choose grafana-tempo for

  • +Distributed tracing for microservices
  • +Storing full-fidelity OpenTelemetry traces
  • +Deriving service-level metrics from spans

best at · Observability

choose signoz for

  • +Self-hosted Datadog or New Relic replacement
  • +OpenTelemetry backend for microservices
  • +APM with trace-to-log correlation
  • +Kubernetes infrastructure monitoring

best at · Observability, Real-time analytics

Grafana TempoObject-storage-backed distributed tracing backend with TraceQL search and trace-derived metrics.
SigNozOpenTelemetry-native APM and observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces in ClickHouse.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Time-Series
Time-Series
Type
Database engine
Backend platform
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Grafana Labs
SigNoz Inc.
First release
2020
2021
Latest version
3.1.1 (Oct 21, 2026)
0.147.0 (Oct 22, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GNU AGPL v3.0
Open source (permissive)MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
14.1
17.0
Rank
#239
#195
GitHub stars
5.5K
32.5K
Stack Overflow questions
25
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
None
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Single node, Distributed, Shared storage
Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
AWS
capabilities
Transactions
—
—
Joins
—
✓
Secondary indexes
—
—
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
—
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
✓
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
✓
✓
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
—
—
Role-based access
—
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
✓
✓
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
TraceQL
SQL (ClickHouse), PromQL, Query builder
Client languages
–
–
Best for
Observability
Observability, Real-time analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Grafana Tempo vs SigNoz: FAQ

What is the difference between Grafana Tempo and SigNoz?

Grafana Tempo: Object-storage-backed distributed tracing backend with TraceQL search and trace-derived metrics. SigNoz: OpenTelemetry-native APM and observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces in ClickHouse. Licensing: Grafana Tempo is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0); SigNoz is open source (permissive) (MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory). Grafana Tempo is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than SigNoz (≤ 1 PB). Only SigNoz has joins, json, role-based access.

When should I choose Grafana Tempo over SigNoz?

Choose Grafana Tempo for distributed tracing for microservices, storing full-fidelity OpenTelemetry traces and deriving service-level metrics from spans. Choose SigNoz for self-hosted Datadog or New Relic replacement, OpenTelemetry backend for microservices and APM with trace-to-log correlation.

Is Grafana Tempo or SigNoz more popular?

SigNoz ranks #195 on the WhichDB Score (17.0/100) and Grafana Tempo ranks #239 (14.1/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Grafana Tempo and SigNoz open source?

Yes. Grafana Tempo is open source. License: GNU AGPL v3.0. Yes. SigNoz is open source. License: MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory.