Both are powerful Rails monitoring tools, but they cater to different philosophies. ScoutAPM is a solid generalist with a strong focus on tracing, but charges extra for error monitoring and logs. DeadBro provides deeper Rails-specific insights at a fraction of the cost, with error tracking and logging included—no add-on fees.
ScoutAPM is expensive. For 3 million requests, you pay $99/mo. With DeadBro, you get 5 million requests for just €50/mo. Plus, Scout charges extra for Error Monitoring ($19+) and Logs ($40+). DeadBro includes error tracking, logging context, and automatic SQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE—all built-in, no add-ons required.
Cost is a factor, but capabilities matter too. Six key advantages over ScoutAPM.
ScoutAPM charges extra for Error Monitoring ($19+) and Logs ($40+). With DeadBro, error tracking, logging context, and automatic SQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE are built-in parts of the platform, not upsells. One price, everything included.
DeadBro goes beyond basic instrumenting. We track detailed Redis transactions, specific view partial rendering costs, Ruby memory allocation patterns, and automatic EXPLAIN ANALYZE for slow queries—insights that generalist APMs often miss.
Scout's free tier caps at 300k requests. DeadBro gives you 500k requests per month for free, plus error tracking and basic logging. Perfect for side projects and early-stage startups.
DeadBro automatically runs EXPLAIN ANALYZE on slow queries, showing you execution plans without manual database access. ScoutAPM doesn't offer this feature, requiring you to debug slow queries manually.
ScoutAPM charges $99/mo for 3M requests. DeadBro charges €50/mo for 5M requests—that's 67% more volume for 50% less cost. Plus, you get error tracking and logging included, which Scout charges extra for.
DeadBro includes "Is It Dead" uptime monitoring as part of the platform—no extra cost. ScoutAPM doesn't offer uptime monitoring, requiring you to use a separate service and pay additional fees.
A comprehensive side-by-side comparison of Rails APM capabilities, pricing, and features.
| Feature | DeadBro | ScoutAPM |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier Volume | 500,000 / mo | 300,000 / mo |
| Cost for ~5M Requests | €50 / mo | ~$150+ / mo (Requires plan upgrade) |
| Error Monitoring | Included | Checked as Add-on ($19+) |
| Logs | Basic Included | Checked as Add-on ($40+) |
| Automatic EXPLAIN ANALYZE | Included | Not included |
| Memory Profiling | Deep Inspection | Included |
| N+1 Detection | Advanced Detection | Included |
| Automatic EXPLAIN ANALYZE | Included | Not included |
| View Rendering Breakdown | Partial & Collection level | Basic Metrics |
| Redis Pipeline & Transaction Tracing | Full Tracing | Limited |
| Memory Allocation & GC Stats | Deep Inspection | Basic |
| Uptime Monitoring | Built-in | Not included |
| Real-Time Performance Dashboards | Minute-level Granularity | Real-time Metrics |
| Response Time Percentiles (P50, P95, P99) | Advanced Analytics | Standard Metrics |
| External HTTP Request Tracking | Full Tracing | Supported |
| User Activity Tracking | Built-in | Limited |
| Slack Integration & Alerts | Native Integration | Available |
| API Access & Webhooks | RESTful API | API Available |
| Multi-Application Support | Unlimited Apps | Supported |
| Team Collaboration Features | Unlimited Team Members | Team Plans |
| Data Retention Periods | 1-3 months (Plan-based) | 30 days standard |
| Setup Complexity | Simple gem install | Straightforward setup |
Why Rails developers choose DeadBro over ScoutAPM for comprehensive monitoring.
DeadBro combines APM, error tracking, logging, and uptime monitoring in a single platform. ScoutAPM requires you to pay extra for error monitoring and logs, fragmenting your observability stack and increasing costs.
DeadBro's automatic EXPLAIN ANALYZE feature shows you execution plans for slow queries without manual database access. ScoutAPM doesn't offer this, requiring you to manually investigate slow queries in your database.
DeadBro's request-based pricing is simple and predictable. ScoutAPM's pricing becomes expensive when you add error monitoring ($19+) and logs ($40+), making it difficult to budget for your monitoring needs.
DeadBro provides view partial-level rendering breakdowns, Redis pipeline tracing, and memory allocation tracking that ScoutAPM doesn't offer. These Rails-specific insights help you optimize performance at a granular level.
Pay for what you use. No hidden fees for extra containers or servers.
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