head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs Logfire
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars, 6,632 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Logfire has 4,533 stars, 351 forks, 191 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 451% (24,988 vs 4,533 stars). Apache SkyWalking is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Logfire is written in Python under MIT. Apache SkyWalking has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, Logfire 8%. Logfire was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (logging, metrics, observability), 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 | Logfire | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 4.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 351 |
| 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 Logfire if
- You want the Logfire feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Logfire 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 Logfire
Pydantic Logfire: Know more. Build faster. From the team behind Pydantic Validation, Pydantic Logfire is an observability platform built on the same belief as our open source library: that the most powerful tools can be easy to use. What sets Logfire apart: Simple and Powerful: Logfire's dashboard is simple relative to the power it provides, ensuring your entire engineering team will actually use it. Python centric Insights: From rich display of Python objects, to event loop telemetry, to profiling Python code and database queries, Logfire gives you unparalleled visibility into your Python application's…
read the full Logfire overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or Logfire more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,988 GitHub stars and Logfire has 4,533. Apache SkyWalking has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache SkyWalking and Logfire free?
Both are open source. Apache SkyWalking is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Logfire under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache SkyWalking and Logfire?
Apache SkyWalking is written in Java and Logfire 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 Logfire?
Choose Apache SkyWalking if you want the larger community (24,988 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Logfire if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.