Grafana Cloud Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Grafana Cloud pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $55 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, 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
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Grafana Cloud's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 10k series Prometheus metrics
- 50GB logs
- 50GB traces
- 50GB profiles
- 500VUh k6 testing
- 20+ Enterprise data source plugins
- 100+ pre-built solutions
- 3 active AI users
- 14-day retention
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- Everything in Free
- Extended retention
- Team collaboration features
- Usage-based pricing for additional data
- Metrics: ~$8/1000 series/month
- Logs: ~$0.50/GB ingested
- Traces: ~$0.50/GB ingested
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like Everything in Free or Extended retention
- 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
- Grafana Cloud 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 Pro Plan Comparison
| Free $0 | Pro $19/active user/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 9 included | 7+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Grafana Cloud branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Individual developers and small projects | Growing teams and production workloads |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Grafana Cloud free?
Yes, Grafana Cloud offers a forever free plan with 9 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Grafana Cloud's free plan?
Grafana Cloud's free plan includes: 10k series Prometheus metrics, 50GB logs, 50GB traces, 50GB profiles, 500VUh k6 testing, and 4 more features. Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in Grafana Cloud's free plan?
The free plan excludes: Everything in Free, Extended retention, Team collaboration features, Usage-based pricing for additional data, Metrics: ~$8/1000 series/month. You'll also have Grafana Cloud branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Grafana Cloud's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like Everything in Free or Extended retention, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $19/active user/month.
05 Is Grafana Cloud's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Grafana Cloud'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.
Get Grafana Cloud pricing updates
We'll notify you when pricing changes or new free features are added.