Langfuse vs Galileo
Both are observability & tracing tools. Here is how they actually differ on price, billing model and deployment.
Langfuse
The open-source LLM observability default. Free, MIT-licensed, genuinely feature-complete when self-hosted - now a ClickHouse subsidiary after its January 2026 acquisition.
Galileo
The best-funded evaluation-and-observability platform in this space, built around proprietary Luna eval models. Not to be confused with the Google-acquired text-to-UI tool of the same name. Real pricing is sales-led above $100/mo.
| Langfuse | Galileo | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Observability & Tracing | Observability & Tracing |
| Our rating | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $100/mo |
| Billing meter | event | span |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free self-hosting | Yes, free | No or paid tier only |
| Best for | Teams that want an open-source observability platform they can self-host without losing features | Enterprise GenAI teams that have been burned by production hallucinations and want research-grade eval metrics plus guardrails, and can run a sales process |
Our verdict on Langfuse
The open-source default for good reason - self-hosting is free and doesn't cripple the product, and it's dramatically cheaper than LangSmith at scale. The catch is operational, not commercial - the v3 architecture is four services now, and the migration bites. If you have the ops capacity, nothing else in the category gives you this much for free.
Full Langfuse review →Our verdict on Galileo
Galileo is the best-funded and arguably most research-forward platform here, and the Luna eval models are a real bet on making evaluation cheap enough to run continuously. Two caveats. First, make sure you're evaluating this Galileo and not the design tool that shares the name - the pricing and reviews get conflated constantly. Second, above the $100 Pro tier everything is contact-sales, and self-host is Enterprise-only, so this is a platform you buy through a rep, not a card.
Full Galileo review →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Langfuse and Galileo?
Langfuse: Teams that want an open-source observability platform they can self-host without losing features Galileo: Enterprise GenAI teams that have been burned by production hallucinations and want research-grade eval metrics plus guardrails, and can run a sales process Both sit in Observability & Tracing, so the decision usually comes down to billing model and deployment rather than raw capability.
Which is cheaper, Langfuse or Galileo?
It depends entirely on your workload shape, because they meter differently - Langfuse bills on event and Galileo bills on span. Published starting prices are $29/mo and $100/mo respectively, but those numbers are not comparable until you apply them to the same traffic. Use our cost calculator to model both against your own request volume and span count.
Can I self-host Langfuse or Galileo?
Langfuse: Yes, free. Galileo: No or paid tier only. Free self-hosting means no licence fee, not no cost - you still own the infrastructure, upgrades and on-call.