Same open-source stack. Run locally instead of hosted.
Grafana Cloud runs the same OSS backends Randoli defaults to: Loki, Tempo, and Prometheus. This isn't a "our tech is better" comparison. It's the same technology running in different places, with different billing models and different ownership implications.
Where it actually differs
Deployment model
Runs in your cluster. Loki, Tempo, and Prometheus/VictoriaMetrics run locally. Processing happens where your data lives, with nothing sent to an external host before analysis.
Hosted and managed by Grafana Labs. No infrastructure to operate, but all telemetry leaves your environment and billing is volume-based across the same OSS components.
Ingestion billing
$0 ingestion. Local processing means no billing meter for active Prometheus series, log bytes, or trace spans. Instrument freely.
Billed by active Prometheus series, ingested log volume, and ingested trace volume, each metered separately. Instrumentation decisions become cost decisions.
Data ownership
Telemetry processed and stored in your environment. Data sovereignty is structural, with no policy or vendor SLA needed to enforce it.
All data stored in Grafana Labs' cloud. Compliance and sovereignty requirements need verification against their available deployment regions and data processing agreements.
AI incident response
Raiya adds AI-driven incident response on top of the same OSS stack, correlating signals, running RCAs, and drafting resolution steps without leaving the platform.
Strong observability dashboards and alerting. AI-driven incident response is not a native part of the platform. It requires integrating external tools.
The numbers
Volume assumption: ~300 GB logs/day and ~50 M trace spans/day per 100 hosts, ~500K active Prometheus series per 100 hosts. Grafana Cloud estimates based on published rates for Pro tier metrics, logs, and traces. Randoli at $0.04/host/hour.
| Scenario | Grafana Cloud (est.) | Randoli |
|---|---|---|
| ~$2,200/mo | ~$1,440/mo | |
Randoli: $0.04/host/hr × 50 hosts × ~730 hrs/mo ≈ ~$1,440/mo Grafana Cloud (est.): illustrative, based on that vendor's published rate card at the volume in this scenario — see the assumption note above. | ||
| ~$8,800/mo | ~$5,760/mo | |
Randoli: $0.04/host/hr × 200 hosts × ~730 hrs/mo ≈ ~$5,760/mo Grafana Cloud (est.): illustrative, based on that vendor's published rate card at the volume in this scenario — see the assumption note above. | ||
| ~$22,000+/mo | ~$14,400/mo (volume discounts available) | |
Randoli: $0.04/host/hr × 500 hosts × ~730 hrs/mo ≈ ~$14,400/mo Grafana Cloud (est.): illustrative, based on that vendor's published rate card at the volume in this scenario — see the assumption note above. | ||
Illustrative estimates based on published rate cards and typical usage patterns, not a quote. Confirm current numbers before publishing.
Why teams consolidate onto Randoli
Grafana Cloud is a well-run managed service. The Grafana UI is the industry-standard visualization layer, and running Loki, Tempo, and Prometheus without managing the infrastructure yourself is a legitimate reason to choose it. The free tier is among the most generous in observability.
Teams move to Randoli when two things matter more than managed convenience: the bill growing with data volume, and data leaving the environment. Randoli runs the same stack locally, adds Raiya for AI-driven incident response, and charges per host rather than per series or gigabyte. Same tech, different economics, different sovereignty posture.