Comparison
HostAtlas vs New Relic.
Different tools, different missions.
New Relic is a full-stack observability platform built for application performance monitoring, distributed tracing, and browser analytics. HostAtlas is an infrastructure management platform built for server monitoring, auto-discovery, incident management, and operational control. Here's how they compare.
Pricing and feature data last verified: April 2026. Competitor pricing and features may have changed since this comparison was written. View all comparisons
The Short Version
Observability platform vs. infrastructure platform.
New Relic gives you deep application-level observability — APM traces, browser sessions, log analytics, and 500+ integrations. HostAtlas gives you complete infrastructure control — auto-discovery, real-time server monitoring, incident management, Under Attack Mode, SSH Client, domain provisioning, and offsite backups. They solve fundamentally different problems.
New Relic
- arrow_forward Full-stack observability (APM, infrastructure, browser, mobile, serverless)
- arrow_forward Per-user pricing: $49/user/month (Standard) to $549/user/month (Pro)
- arrow_forward Data ingestion cost: $0.30 per GB after 100 GB/month free tier
- arrow_forward 500+ integrations and a massive ecosystem of plugins
- arrow_forward Distributed tracing across microservices
- arrow_forward Steep learning curve, requires extensive instrumentation
HostAtlas
- arrow_forward Infrastructure management platform (monitoring, incidents, operations)
- arrow_forward Flat pricing: $19/month Starter, scales predictably by server count
- arrow_forward No data ingestion fees, no per-user fees, no surprise bills
- arrow_forward One-liner install with full auto-discovery of services, domains, containers
- arrow_forward Under Attack Mode, SSH Client, CLI tool, domain provisioning built-in
- arrow_forward Simple to set up, focused on infrastructure teams
Pricing
Flat rate vs. per-user + per-GB.
New Relic's pricing has two axes: per-user seats and data ingestion volume. A 5-person team on the Pro plan ingesting 500 GB/month pays $2,745+/month. HostAtlas charges a flat monthly rate based on the number of servers — no per-user fees, no data ingestion charges, no billing surprises.
New Relic — Small Team
~$370/mo
3 standard users ($49/user) + 200 GB data ingestion ($0.30/GB for 100 GB over free tier). Prices increase quickly as your team or data volume grows.
New Relic — Growth Team
~$2,745/mo
5 pro users ($549/user) + 500 GB data ingestion. Enterprise features like SAML SSO and compliance require higher tiers with custom pricing.
HostAtlas — Starter
$19/mo
Unlimited users. All features included. No per-GB fees. No data ingestion charges. Price scales based on server count only — predictable and transparent.
* Pricing as of April 2026. Check competitor websites for current pricing.
Setup & Complexity
Instrumentation vs. auto-discovery.
New Relic requires you to instrument your applications — install language-specific agents, configure APM, set up distributed tracing spans, and define custom dashboards. HostAtlas requires one command. The agent auto-discovers everything running on your servers and starts monitoring immediately.
New Relic setup
Install infrastructure agent
Install the New Relic infrastructure agent on each server. Configure with your license key and optional custom attributes.
Install language-specific APM agents
Add APM agents to each application (Node.js, Python, Java, .NET, Go, Ruby, PHP). Each requires code changes or configuration.
Configure distributed tracing
Set up trace propagation headers across services. Configure sampling rates. Define service maps and dependencies manually or let auto-discovery detect them over time.
Build dashboards and alerts
Create custom dashboards with NRQL queries. Define alert policies for each signal. Set up notification workflows. Expect days to weeks of configuration for comprehensive coverage.
HostAtlas setup
Run the one-liner install
Run curl -sSL https://install.hostatlas.app/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --key=SERVER_KEY on any Linux server. The agent installs, authenticates, and begins collecting metrics in under 30 seconds.
Auto-discovery does the rest
The agent automatically detects all running services (nginx, Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, Docker containers), hosted domains, SSL certificates, and open ports. No manual configuration required.
Dashboard and alerts are ready immediately
Your server appears on the dashboard within seconds. Default alerts are preconfigured for CPU, memory, disk, offline detection, and SSL expiry. Customize thresholds anytime — but the defaults work out of the box.
Quick install
$ curl -sSL https://install.hostatlas.app/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --key=SERVER_KEY Feature Comparison
Feature-by-feature breakdown.
A comprehensive comparison of capabilities across both platforms. Green checks indicate the feature is included; red crosses mean it's not available.
| Feature | HostAtlas | New Relic |
|---|---|---|
| Server Monitoring (CPU, RAM, Disk, Network) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-Discovery (Services, Domains, Containers) | ✓ | Partial |
| Application Performance Monitoring (APM) | ✕ | ✓ |
| Distributed Tracing | ✕ | ✓ |
| Browser / Real User Monitoring | ✕ | ✓ |
| Incident Management (Full Lifecycle) | ✓ | Basic |
| Under Attack Mode (Live DDoS Defense) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Built-in SSH Client | ✓ | ✕ |
| CLI Tool | ✓ | ✓ |
| Domain Management & Provisioning | ✓ | ✕ |
| Heartbeat / Cron Job Monitoring | ✓ | ✕ |
| Ransomware Detection | ✓ | ✕ |
| Offsite Backups | ✓ | ✕ |
| Log Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-Powered Analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Server Recipes (Automation) | ✓ | ✕ |
| SSL Certificate Tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| 500+ Third-Party Integrations | ✕ | ✓ |
| Serverless Monitoring (Lambda, Functions) | ✕ | ✓ |
| Open Source Agent | ✓ | ✓ |
| Flat, Predictable Pricing | ✓ | ✕ |
HostAtlas Advantages
What HostAtlas does that New Relic doesn't.
HostAtlas is purpose-built for infrastructure teams that manage servers, domains, and services directly. These are capabilities you won't find in New Relic.
Under Attack Mode
Real-time DDoS and brute-force defense. When enabled, HostAtlas streams live connection data, identifies attacking IPs, and lets you block them instantly from the dashboard. New Relic has no equivalent — it observes, but doesn't defend.
Built-in SSH Client
Connect to any monitored server directly from the HostAtlas dashboard. No local SSH keys required on the machine you're browsing from. Audit-logged sessions. New Relic doesn't offer remote access to your servers.
Domain Provisioning
Create and configure domains directly from the platform — set up vhosts, DNS records, and SSL certificates in one workflow. New Relic monitors applications, not the infrastructure layer where domains live.
Offsite Backups
Encrypted offsite backups to S3-compatible storage with ransomware gate protection. Backup scheduling, retention policies, and restore capabilities built into the platform. Completely outside New Relic's scope.
Ransomware Detection
The HostAtlas agent monitors file system entropy and detects rapid encryption patterns that indicate ransomware activity. Triggers immediate alerts so you can respond before data loss occurs.
Heartbeat Monitoring
Monitor cron jobs, scheduled tasks, and background workers with dead man's switch endpoints. If a heartbeat doesn't arrive on schedule, an alert fires. New Relic requires synthetic monitors or custom instrumentation for similar functionality.
New Relic Advantages
What New Relic does that HostAtlas doesn't.
New Relic is a mature observability platform with deep application-level visibility. If your primary need is APM and distributed tracing, New Relic has capabilities that HostAtlas doesn't aim to replicate.
Application Performance Monitoring
Deep code-level visibility into application performance. Track response times, throughput, error rates, and database query performance for every transaction across your application stack.
Distributed Tracing
Trace requests across microservices, databases, message queues, and external APIs. Visualize the complete request path and identify exactly where latency or errors originate in complex distributed systems.
Browser & Real User Monitoring
Track real user experience in the browser — page load times, JavaScript errors, AJAX performance, and session traces. Understand how your frontend performs for actual users across different browsers and devices.
500+ Integrations
Pre-built integrations for AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and hundreds of third-party services. Quickstart dashboards and alerts for popular technologies. A massive ecosystem built over a decade.
Serverless Monitoring
Monitor AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions. Track cold starts, invocation counts, duration, and errors for serverless workloads without traditional infrastructure.
NRQL Query Language
A powerful SQL-like query language for exploring all your telemetry data. Build custom visualizations, calculate business metrics, and create complex alert conditions with a flexible query interface.
Decision Guide
When to choose each platform.
Both platforms are excellent at what they do. The right choice depends on whether your primary challenge is application observability or infrastructure management.
Choose New Relic when…
Your primary focus is application performance and you need deep code-level observability.
- check You run complex microservice architectures and need distributed tracing across dozens of services
- check You need APM-level visibility into application code performance, database queries, and external API calls
- check Browser / real user monitoring is critical to your business — you need to track frontend performance and JavaScript errors
- check You heavily use serverless (Lambda, Cloud Functions) and need native monitoring for those workloads
- check You need 500+ pre-built integrations for cloud services, databases, and third-party tools
- check Budget is flexible and per-user + per-GB pricing works for your organization
Choose HostAtlas when…
Your primary focus is managing servers and infrastructure, not application-level tracing.
- check You manage servers directly and need monitoring, discovery, and operational tools in one platform
- check You want one-liner setup with automatic discovery of everything running on your servers
- check You need incident management, Under Attack Mode, SSH access, and domain provisioning alongside monitoring
- check You want offsite backups and ransomware detection integrated into your monitoring platform
- check You need flat, predictable pricing without per-user or data-ingestion fees
- check You're a hosting provider, agency, freelancer, or small team managing infrastructure for clients
Use Both
They're complementary, not competing.
New Relic and HostAtlas solve different problems. Many teams use both — New Relic for APM, distributed tracing, and browser monitoring; HostAtlas for infrastructure management, server operations, incident response, and security. The agents run side-by-side without conflict.
If you already use New Relic for application observability and need a better way to manage the servers underneath, HostAtlas fills that gap. If you use HostAtlas for infrastructure and need deep application tracing, New Relic fills that gap. They work well together.
Get started
Start managing your infrastructure in 30 seconds.
Install the HostAtlas agent and get full infrastructure visibility immediately. Auto-discovery, real-time monitoring, incident management, Under Attack Mode, SSH Client, and 340+ features — all included from day one. No per-user fees. No data ingestion charges.
Quick install
$ curl -sSL https://install.hostatlas.app/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --key=SERVER_KEY_