SigNoz vs Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)(2026)
SigNoz is better for teams that need open source (mit). Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) is the stronger choice if excellent deployment/change tracking. SigNoz is open-source (from $0) and Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) is paid (from $100/mo).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
By Bikram Nath
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SigNoz
SigNoz is an open-source observability platform that unifies distributed tracing, metrics, and logs in a single UI — built on ClickHouse for performance, compatible with OpenTelemetry.
Starting at $0
Visit SigNozLightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)
Lightstep (now ServiceNow Cloud Observability) provides distributed tracing and change intelligence — correlating deployments and incidents with performance degradation in real time.
Starting at $100/mo
Visit Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)How Do SigNoz and Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) Compare on Features?
| Feature | SigNoz | Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | paid |
| Starting price | $0 | $100/mo |
| Distributed tracing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Metrics monitoring | ✓ | — |
| Log management | ✓ | — |
| OpenTelemetry native | ✓ | — |
| ClickHouse backend | ✓ | — |
| Alerts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Service maps | ✓ | — |
| Change intelligence | — | ✓ |
| Deployment correlation | — | ✓ |
| Service health snapshots | — | ✓ |
| OpenTelemetry support | — | ✓ |
| Metrics + traces unified | — | ✓ |
SigNoz Pros and Cons vs Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)
SigNoz
Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)
Should You Use SigNoz or Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability)?
For most teams, SigNoz is the better default: it offers open source (mit) and is open-source (from $0). Choose Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) instead if excellent deployment/change tracking matters more than self-hosting complexity. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value open source (mit) or excellent deployment/change tracking more.
Choose SigNoz if…
- •Open source (MIT)
- •Three pillars unified
- •OTel native
Choose Lightstep (ServiceNow Cloud Observability) if…
- •Excellent deployment/change tracking
- •OpenTelemetry founding member
- •Service health snapshots