head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs Pulse
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars, 6,632 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Pulse has 7,253 stars, 380 forks, 46 open issues and last shipped 25 days ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 245% (24,988 vs 7,253 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Pulse is written in Swift under MIT. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, Pulse 5%. Apache SkyWalking was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (logging), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Apache SkyWalking | Pulse | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 7.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 380 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Apache SkyWalking if
- You weight community size — 25K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Pulse if
- You want the Pulse feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and Pulse fits your workflow better
About Apache SkyWalking
Apache SkyWalking ========== SkyWalking : an APM (Application Performance Monitoring) system, especially designed for microservices, cloud native and container based architectures. Abstract SkyWalking is an open source APM system that provides monitoring, tracing and diagnosing capabilities for distributed systems in Cloud Native architectures. Distributed Tracing End to end distributed tracing. Service topology analysis, service centric observability and APIs dashboards. Agents for your stack Java, .Net Core, PHP, NodeJS, Golang, LUA, Rust, C++, Client JavaScript and Python agents with active development and…
read the full Apache SkyWalking overview →
About Pulse
Pulse is a powerful logging system for Apple Platforms. Native. Built with SwiftUI. Record and inspect logs and URLSession network requests right from your iOS app. Share logs and view them in Pulse Pro or use remote logging to see them in real time. Logs are stored locally and never leave your devices. About Pulse is not just a tool, it's a framework. It records events from URLSession or from frameworks that use it, such as Alamofire or Get, and displays them using PulseUI views that you integrate directly into your app. This way Pulse console is available for everyone who has your test builds. You or your QA…
read the full Pulse overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or Pulse more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars and Pulse has 7,253. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and Pulse free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Pulse under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and Pulse?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and Pulse in Swift. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Apache SkyWalking or Pulse?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,988 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Pulse if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.