head to head · open source
Apache SkyWalking vs Logfire
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars, 6,633 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Logfire has 4,480 stars, 289 forks, 191 open issues and last shipped today. Apache SkyWalking leads on adoption by 457% (24,958 vs 4,480 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 6%. 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 | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 289 |
| 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 is an open source application performance monitoring (APM) system for distributed systems in cloud native architectures, built for teams that run microservices across Kubernetes and container based environments.
read the full Apache SkyWalking overview →
About Logfire
Pydantic Logfire is an observability platform for Python applications, with a focus on AI systems, LLM apps, and agents. The project lives in the Python and OpenTelemetry ecosystem. The repository contains the MIT licensed Python SDK and documentation, while the server application for recording and displaying data is closed source.
read the full Logfire overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache SkyWalking or Logfire more popular?
Apache SkyWalking has 24,958 GitHub stars and Logfire has 4,480. 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 (24,958 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Logfire if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.