Sentry vs Bugsnag: Which is better for your stack?
Choosing between Sentry and Bugsnag for error monitoring can make a big difference in how you respond to issues and improve application reliability. Both tools monitor errors and crashes, offer event quotas, and have multiple SDKs, but their pricing models, deployment options, and advanced features differ in ways that matter depending on your tech stack and priorities. This comparison breaks down capabilities, pricing, limits, integrations, and more, so you can pick the best fit for your needs.
Key takeaways
- Sentry supports self-hosting; Bugsnag is only cloud-hosted.
- Bugsnag provides stability scores for releases and users out-of-the-box; Sentry focuses on advanced error tracing and metrics.
- Both platforms use event-based pricing, with differences in data retention and seat management.
- Sentry’s SDK library is broader, but both cover popular mobile and web frameworks.
Quick summary table
| Feature | How Sentry handles it | How Bugsnag handles it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting/Setup | Cloud & self-hosted options | Cloud only | Requires on-premise or private cloud (Sentry) |
| Stability scores | Not publicly specified | Out-of-the-box, per release and user | Mobile app health tracking (Bugsnag) |
| Intelligent error grouping | Yes, auto grouping | Yes, auto grouping | Reducing alert fatigue (both) |
| Mobile SDKs | Multiple platforms, mobile covered | Multiple platforms, mobile focus | Mobile-heavy teams (Bugsnag slight edge) |
| Event quotas | Per plan, configurable | Per plan, configurable | Rapid scaling with predictable costs (both) |
| Data retention | Plan-based; longer on higher tiers | Plan-based; details per plan not always public | Needing longer retention (Sentry on higher plans) |
| Seats | Plan-based, user management via RBAC | Plan-based, user management | Larger teams (both) |
What Sentry is
Sentry is an error monitoring platform used by developers to detect, diagnose, and fix crashes and performance bottlenecks. It offers both cloud and self-hosted deployment, making it attractive to enterprise teams who require data control. Sentry specializes in real-time error tracking, context-rich stack traces, and integrations for a wide range of languages and frameworks. Its users include engineering teams at all scales needing detailed issue triage and traceability across distributed systems.
What Bugsnag is
Bugsnag is a cloud-based error monitoring tool known for its stability scores, which help you measure release and user health. It targets web and mobile teams that want actionable insights, with a focus on out-of-the-box usability and mobile SDK support. Bugsnag groups errors intelligently, supports a wide range of frameworks, and appeals to teams valuing fast set-up and application health visibility, particularly in mobile-centric organizations.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Error monitoring & crash reporting
Both Sentry and Bugsnag deliver core error tracking functionality: recording errors, surfacing stack traces, and grouping issues. Sentry is often praised for context depth and backtrace detail. Bugsnag adds release and user-focused stability scoring, which is visible for each release and lets you track health over time. Both tools offer real-time notifications and support for major languages and mobile.
Performance/APM & tracing
Sentry offers advanced application performance monitoring (APM) features, enabling distributed tracing and performance metrics. Bugsnag’s main focus is error/crash insights rather than deep transaction tracing. If your team wants end-to-end performance data, Sentry is the stronger option here.
Noise reduction & alerting
Error grouping and customizable alerts are supported by both. Each platform intelligently clusters similar errors to reduce alert fatigue. Rules-based alerting is available, with Sentry offering fine-grained filtering and Bugsnag focusing on user impact (such as stability scores that guide alerting urgency).
Session replay / RUM
Not publicly specified for either tool in the available sources; both focus on errors, with performance and user impact analytics. Dedicated session replay or RUM may require third-party add-ons.
Pricing & data limits (events, retention, seats)
Sentry uses event-based pricing, with tiers for Developer (free), Team, Business, and Enterprise. Quotas control the number of events tracked per billing period, and data retention increases with tier. Seat management is handled per plan, and overages are possible if you need more capacity. Bugsnag structures pricing similarly, with tiered event quotas and configurable overages, and free trials are available. Details such as exact event/seat limits and retention duration are not always publicly detailed, so you should review the current pricing docs to compare offers for your expected scale. Sentry pricing docs and Bugsnag pricing have the most up-to-date information.
SDKs & integrations (languages, frameworks, ecosystem)
Both platforms support major web and mobile frameworks. Sentry’s SDK list covers more languages and includes advanced features for modern JavaScript, Python, Java, and native applications. Mobile SDKs are available for both, but Bugsnag is frequently called out for deep mobile support and stability analytics. Integrations with alerting tools, CI/CD, and source control are available from both vendors—review their documentation for niche or proprietary integrations relevant to your stack.
Setup, hosting & maintenance (self-hosted vs cloud, SSO, RBAC)
Sentry can be cloud-hosted or self-hosted, making it a fit for organizations with regulatory, compliance, or data residency needs. Bugsnag is available only as a cloud service. Single Sign-On (SSO) and role-based access control (RBAC) are supported by both, with details and availability depending on your chosen tier.
Security & compliance (PII handling, SOC2, GDPR)
Both Sentry and Bugsnag describe compliance with major standards such as GDPR for data protection, and they provide security and privacy documentation. For sensitive deployments, Sentry’s self-hosted option allows you to control your data environment directly. PII handling tools include configurable scrubbing and filtering, but specifics may require direct review of each product’s docs.
When to choose Sentry vs when to choose Bugsnag
| Scenario | Prefer Sentry | Prefer Bugsnag |
|---|---|---|
| On-premise deployment required | Yes | No |
| Mobile app with stability scores/release health | No | Yes |
| Need distributed tracing/performance analytics | Yes | No |
| Out-of-the-box health/checks, fastest setup | No | Yes |
| Very broad SDK/language support | Yes | No |
| Highly regulated data/compliance | Yes (self-hosted) | No |
Migration notes & pitfalls
If moving from one platform to the other, expect to reconfigure SDKs and integrations—native grouping and alert rules do not transfer. Importing historical data or error groups is not supported between vendors; plan for a phased cutover and period of dual monitoring. Review quotas, retention, and seat limits carefully to avoid unexpected overages after migration.
Conclusion
Sentry and Bugsnag are both strong options for error monitoring. Sentry stands out if you need self-hosting, broad SDK support, or advanced performance monitoring. Bugsnag is a favorite for mobile teams that value stability scoring and release health metrics. Both use event-driven pricing and support team access control, but Sentry provides more flexibility for enterprises with complex compliance needs. For more guidance on similar tools, see More SaaS comparisons from our team, or learn About SaaSvsSaaS.
FAQs
Is Sentry or Bugsnag better for mobile crash reporting?
Bugsnag provides out-of-the-box stability scores and focuses heavily on mobile app health, making it a leading choice for mobile crash reporting. Sentry covers mobile platforms well, but teams needing deep release-oriented health metrics may prefer Bugsnag.
Which offers smarter error grouping out of the box?
Both Sentry and Bugsnag provide automatic error grouping, reducing alert fatigue. Bugsnag’s grouping is tightly linked to release health and user impact, while Sentry emphasizes granular trace context.
How do pricing limits/events compare for growing apps?
Sentry and Bugsnag both use event-based quotas with plan-based overages. The details—such as included limits and overage pricing—are specific to plan and should be confirmed with each provider, but scalability is supported by both for apps expecting rapid growth.