OpenObserve vs SolarWinds
No node-based licensing. OpenTelemetry-native. No Windows servers, SQL databases, or module sprawl. See why teams are moving off SolarWinds.
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Why teams switch from SolarWinds
The many reasons that teams are making the switch
No Node-Based Licensing
No per-node tiers, per-module licenses, or 3-year subscription lock-in. Simple ingest-based pricing or free open source.
No Windows + SQL Server Stack
Self-hosted SolarWinds needs Windows Servers and MS SQL databases. OpenObserve is a single Rust binary backed by object storage.
OpenTelemetry-Native by Design
No proprietary Orion agents or polling engines to maintain. Any standard OTel collector ships logs, metrics, and traces to OpenObserve.
One Platform, Not Many Modules
Logs, metrics, traces, dashboards, alerts, and pipelines in one product. No juggling NPM, SAM, Loggly, and Papertrail licenses.
Retention Without Blowouts
SolarWinds SaaS log plans standardly retain 1-60 days. OpenObserve keeps months or years of data cheaply on object storage.
Open Source, No Lock-In
AGPL-3.0 licensed core, open Parquet storage format, SQL and PromQL queries. Self-host anywhere or use our cloud - switch anytime.
See how OpenObserve replaces SolarWinds
Get a personalized walkthrough and see how much you'd save moving off node-based licensing and per-GB log fees.
- 30-minute personalized walkthrough
- No credit card required
- See your real migration path from SolarWinds
Feature comparison
Modern, full-stack observability
| Feature | SolarWinds | OpenObserve | Reference Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature parity: logs, metrics, traces, dashboards, alerts, pipelines | ✓ | ✓ | LogsMetricsTracesDashboardsAlertsPipelines |
| Licensing model | Node- and module-based tiers, 3-year subscription terms | Free open source, or simple ingest-based cloud pricing | See pricing |
| Log pricing (SaaS) | $5/GB/month ingested | Ingest-based, dramatically lower via object storage | See pricing |
| Self-hosted architecture | Windows Servers, polling engines, MS SQL Server database | Single Rust binary or stateless HA cluster on object storage | Learn more |
| Deployment time | Days to weeks for platform, database, and modules | Minutes - single binary or Helm chart | Quickstart |
| OpenTelemetry support | Via SolarWinds' own OTel collector distribution | OTel-native: OTLP for logs, metrics, and traces out of the box | OpenTelemetry |
| Kubernetes-native | K8s monitoring added on; VM/Windows heritage | Built for Kubernetes - HA deploy via Helm | Learn more |
| Query language | Proprietary query builders / SWQL | SQL/PromQL | Used universally with no learning curve |
| Agent footprint | Orion agents, polling engines, Loggly/Papertrail shippers | Any standard collector: OTel, Fluent Bit, Vector, syslog | Data ingestion |
| Data retention | 1-60 days standard on SaaS log plans; longer needs sales | Object storage - long-term retention without budget blowouts | Learn more |
| Open Source | ✗ | ✓ | - |
| IAM & SSO | ✓ | ✓ | SAML, OIDC, LDAP, role-based access |
Migrating from SolarWinds
For organizations considering migration, a well-planned strategy is essential for success.
Repoint your collectors to OpenObserve
SolarWinds' own collector is a distribution of the OpenTelemetry Collector, so most pipelines already speak OTLP. Deploy OpenObserve alongside SolarWinds and dual-ship by adding an OTLP exporter endpoint - no code changes required.
Replace legacy agents and rebuild dashboards
Swap Orion agents and Loggly/Papertrail shippers for lightweight OTel Collector, Fluent Bit, or Vector agents. Recreate key dashboards with SQL and PromQL, and configure alerts with equal or better granularity.
Cut over and retire node licenses
Gradually shift workloads from SolarWinds to OpenObserve, starting with non-critical services. Validate results, then let node and module subscriptions lapse instead of renewing. Our team can help accelerate this process.
"OpenObserve is super fast, definitely very lightweight, and you can get started with an initial POC in two to three minutes to be honest."
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about switching from SolarWinds to OpenObserve