Better Stack Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Better Stack costs Free to $500 per varies as of May 2026. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
Yes, Better Stack offers a forever free plan as of May 2026. The free tier includes 7 features with limits on usage. Paid plans start at $30/user/month (Nano). Pricing verified from 1 sources by CostBench.
Better Stack's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 3 GB logs retained for 3 days
- 40 GB metrics
- 10 monitors & heartbeats
- 1 status page
- Slack & email alerts
- 100,000 exceptions per month
- 5,000 session replays
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- 40 GB logs
- 40 GB traces
- 30 day retention
- Unlimited team members
- 60-day money-back guarantee
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like 40 GB logs or 40 GB traces
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Better Stack branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Nano Plan Comparison
| Free $0 | Nano $30/user/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 7 included | 6+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Better Stack branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Personal projects and side projects | Small teams getting started with observability |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Better Stack free?
Yes, Better Stack offers a forever free plan with 7 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Better Stack's free plan?
Better Stack's free plan includes: 3 GB logs retained for 3 days, 40 GB metrics, 10 monitors & heartbeats, 1 status page, Slack & email alerts, and 2 more features. Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in Better Stack's free plan?
The free plan excludes: 40 GB logs, 40 GB traces, 30 day retention, Unlimited team members, 60-day money-back guarantee. You'll also have Better Stack branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Better Stack's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like 40 GB logs or 40 GB traces, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $30/user/month.
05 Is Better Stack's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Better Stack's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.