shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Prometheus?

Open-source monitoring system and time series database (PromCon EU 2026, Munich, Oct 7–8) - prometheus.io

Depends. Buy it if you run Kubernetes or cloud-native infrastructure and can operate open-source tooling yourself. Skip it if you want turnkey hosted monitoring with vendor support and predictable bills.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~15 usable public sources. Many search results named unrelated 'Prometheus' entities (2012 film, security firms, Bezos AI startup, laptops) and were excluded.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Self-hosted OSS

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Amazon Managed Service for PrometheusUsage-based
Google Managed Service for PrometheusUsage-based

Best for

  • Kubernetes and container monitoring
  • DevOps teams comfortable running OSS
  • Cloud-native metrics and alerting
  • Grafana-centric dashboards

Not for

  • Non-technical teams wanting turnkey hosting
  • Anyone needing vendor SLAs and support
  • Small apps needing one simple uptime check
  • Teams with no capacity to operate a TSDB

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Over 330K instances exposed to DoS attacks and data compromise in Dec 2024; never expose it publicly

high

Attackers exploit exposed Prometheus servers to pivot into Kubernetes clusters

medium

AWS Managed Service bills per metric sample ingested; costs balloon at scale

medium

Scaling and retention pain pushes teams toward alternatives; plan long-term storage early

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 100% open source and free to self-host
  • Massive adoption: 68,598 companies tracked using it
  • Deep cloud-native ecosystem; pairs naturally with Grafana
  • Documented security model and product security page
  • Official client libraries for many languages

Cons

  • Enterprise adoption carries documented operational challenges
  • Exposed servers are an actively exploited attack vector
  • 2026 CVEs include XSS and denial-of-service flaws
  • Managed cloud offerings criticized as expensive
  • Users frequently shop for simpler alternatives

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/27/2026 - 15 sources - Security model is documented, but 2026 brought XSS and DoS CVEs, and misconfigured exposure is the top real-world risk.

official x4review x5security x4news x2
  • CVE-2026-40179 — XSS, Cross-site scripting vulnerability in the Prometheus monitoring system, published May 2026.
  • CVE-2026-42154 — DoS, Denial-of-service vulnerability in Prometheus, published May 2026.
  • Mass instance exposure, Over 330,000 Prometheus instances threatened by DoS attacks and data compromise (Dec 2024).
  • Exposed servers exploited, Attackers use exposed Prometheus servers to exploit Kubernetes environments.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 15

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free open-source core; managed versions cost extra
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Users seek simpler alternatives; adoption challenges documented
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Metrics, TSDB, alerting, large ecosystem
  • Support quality. No support evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 2/5. 2026 XSS and DoS CVEs; exposure risk
  • 68,598 companies Adoption Tracked by TheirStack
  • Free Price (self-hosted) 100% open source core
  • 61 G2 reviews Prometheus on G2
  • 330K+ Exposed instances Dec 2024 security brief

Pricing

Self-hosted OSS

Free

  • Full monitoring system and TSDB
  • You operate and scale it

Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus

Usage-based

  • No infrastructure to run
  • Billed per metric sample ingested

Google Managed Service for Prometheus

Usage-based

  • GCP-native
  • Per-metric ingest pricing

Security

Security model is documented, but 2026 brought XSS and DoS CVEs, and misconfigured exposure is the top real-world risk.

  • CVE-2026-40179 — XSSCross-site scripting vulnerability in the Prometheus monitoring system, published May 2026.
  • CVE-2026-42154 — DoSDenial-of-service vulnerability in Prometheus, published May 2026.⁵
  • Mass instance exposureOver 330,000 Prometheus instances threatened by DoS attacks and data compromise (Dec 2024).⁷
  • Exposed servers exploitedAttackers use exposed Prometheus servers to exploit Kubernetes environments.⁶

What users say

Adoption is enormous — 68,598 companies tracked — yet teams routinely evaluate simpler or cheaper alternatives.

Companies that use it

Full analysis

Based on ~15 usable public sources. Many search results named unrelated 'Prometheus' entities (2012 film, security firms, Bezos AI startup, laptops) and were excluded.

Free, industry-standard metrics monitoring — powerful but self-operated. Great for cloud-native teams; overkill for simple needs.

Methodology

Based on ~15 usable public sources. Many search results named unrelated 'Prometheus' entities (2012 film, security firms, Bezos AI startup, laptops) and were excluded.

Sources

  1. Prometheus - Monitoring system & time series databaseprometheus.io
    official
  2. Prometheus Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features (G2)g2.com
    review
  3. Companies that use Prometheus (68,598)theirstack.com
    news
  4. CVE-2026-40179 - National Vulnerability Databasenvd.nist.gov
    security
  5. CVE-2026-42154: Prometheus DOS Vulnerabilitysentinelone.com
    security
  6. How attackers use exposed Prometheus servers to exploit Kubernetessysdig.com
    security
  7. DoS attacks, data compromise threaten over 330K Prometheus instancesscworld.com
    security
  8. Prometheus Security model (official docs)prometheus.io
    official
  9. Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus Pricingaws.amazon.com
    official
  10. Pricing comparison for Managed Prometheusvictoriametrics.com
    review
  11. Prometheus Alternatives 2026: Open Source & SaaSsignoz.io
    review
  12. Prometheus Monitoring OSS | Grafanagrafana.com
    official
  13. Wiz uses Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus (case study)aws.amazon.com
    news
  14. What is Prometheus and 4 challenges for enterprise adoptiondynatrace.com
    review
  15. Really simple alternative to Prometheus for monitoring (Reddit)reddit.com
    review

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