Quick answer
Statsig - Statsig wins for most builders because its free tier covers the core product workflow with far more room to experiment, while New Relic is the better fit only if observability and infrastructure monitoring are the main job.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve different problems. New Relic is an observability package first: one full platform user, unlimited basic users, 100 GB of ingest, logs, traces, infrastructure signals, synthetic checks, and security data are all aimed at watching production systems. Statsig is a product development tool first: feature flags, experiments, product analytics, session replays, and unlimited seats are available on the free tier, with quotas that are generous enough for real teams to use without immediately paying. The biggest difference is not just quota size but what the free tier is meant to sustain. New Relic’s free tier is enough to monitor a small footprint, but it is bounded by ingest. Statsig’s free tier is more of a working starter plan for shipping and measuring product changes, with a cleaner path to scale into Pro when events or replays grow.
New Relic vs Statsig free tier, side by side
| New RelicFTV 63 | StatsigFTV 71 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free core accessNew Relic limits full-access users; Statsig does not cap seats on the free tier. | One full platform user, unlimited basic users | Unlimited seats |
| Usage capThese are different meters, so they are not directly comparable. | 100 GB data ingest per month | 2 million events per month |
| Session / synthetic coverageEach product uses a different primary telemetry type. | Unlimited ping monitors, including 500 synthetic monitoring checks | 50,000 session replays per month |
| RetentionStatsig exposes a much longer analytics retention window on the free tier. | At least 8 days of default data retention | 1-year analytics retention |
| Core product surfaceThe free tiers reflect different product categories. | APM with tracing and logs, infrastructure monitoring, security data, browser and mobile telemetry | A/B tests, feature flags, product analytics, session replays, web analytics |
After you outgrow the free tier
New Relic’s paid expansion is usage-based: the free tier rolls into Standard pay-as-you-go once you exceed the limits, or into an annual pool-of-funds arrangement for larger commitments. Statsig’s first paid tier is Pro at $150/mo, which is a usage-based plan with higher included event and replay quotas. The pricing diverges in how it scales: New Relic cost depends on overage and commitment style, but the input does not provide enough rates to model exact dollars. Statsig has a clear first paid price, so its jump from free to paid is easier to reason about for small teams.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | New Relic | Statsig |
|---|---|---|
| Near free-tier limitsBoth stay free if usage remains inside the included quotas. | Free (within 100 GB ingest and user limits) | Free (within 2M events and 50k replays) |
| Above free tier, low overageNew Relic pricing beyond the free limits is not priced in the input. Statsig Pro has a listed monthly price. | contact sales / varies by usage | $150/mo |
| Higher-volume product teamStatsig Pro includes 5M events and 100k replays, but the input does not provide add-on overage pricing. | contact sales / varies by usage | $150/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick New Relic when…
- You need production observability for a small app and want to watch logs, traces, metrics, and infrastructure in one place.
- You want synthetic ping monitoring or basic uptime checks as part of a monitoring stack.
- You are evaluating APM and log management more than experimentation or feature flags.
- You only need one full platform user and are fine with unlimited basic users for the rest of the team.
Pick Statsig when…
- You need feature flags and experiments to ship product changes safely.
- You want product analytics and session replays in the same free tool.
- You have a small team and want unlimited seats on day one.
- You expect to stay within 2 million events and 50,000 session replays per month for a while.
- You want a free tier that supports ongoing product iteration, not just monitoring.
Bottom line
For most builders choosing a free tier, Statsig is the better default because it covers the product experimentation workflow with unlimited seats and enough event volume to be useful before you pay. New Relic is the stronger pick when the main job is observability, especially if you need logs, traces, synthetic checks, and infrastructure monitoring in one place. If you are deciding where to start for product development, choose Statsig. If you are deciding how to watch a live system, choose New Relic.
Read the full listings: New Relic and Statsig. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.