head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs viztracer
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars, 6,632 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. viztracer has 7,774 stars, 480 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 221% (24,988 vs 7,774 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; viztracer is written in Python under Apache-2.0. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, viztracer 6%. 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 | viztracer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 7.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-09-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 480 |
| 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 viztracer if
- You want the viztracer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and viztracer 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 viztracer
VizTracer VizTracer is a low overhead logging/debugging/profiling tool that can trace and visualize your python code execution. The front end UI is powered by Perfetto. Use "AWSD" to zoom/navigate . More help can be found in "Support Controls". Highlights Detailed function entry/exit information on timeline with source code Super easy to use, no source code change for most features, no package dependency Low overhead, probably the fastest tracer in the market Supports threading, multiprocessing, subprocess, async and PyTorch Powerful front end, able to render GB level trace smoothly Works on Linux/MacOS/Windows…
read the full viztracer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or viztracer more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars and viztracer has 7,774. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and viztracer free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and viztracer under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and viztracer?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and viztracer in Python. 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 viztracer?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,988 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose viztracer if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.