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AWS X-Ray Reviews

Vendor: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
3.9 out of 5
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What is AWS X-Ray?

AWS X-Ray is a powerful debugging and performance analysis tool offered by Amazon Web Services. It allows developers to trace requests made to their applications and identify bottlenecks and issues. 

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AWS X-Ray is the #16 ranked solution in APM tools. PeerSpot users give AWS X-Ray an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. AWS X-Ray is most commonly compared to Dynatrace: AWS X-Ray vs Dynatrace. AWS X-Ray is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 65% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 16% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
AWS X-Ray
August 2025
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AWS X-Ray mindshare

As of August 2025, the mindshare of AWS X-Ray in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category stands at 3.1%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
AWS X-Ray3.1%
Dynatrace10.2%
Datadog8.5%
Other78.2%
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

PeerResearch reports based on AWS X-Ray reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryApplication Performance Monitoring (APM) and ObservabilityAug 27, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersAug 27, 2025Download
ComparisonAWS X-Ray vs DatadogAug 27, 2025Download
ComparisonAWS X-Ray vs DynatraceAug 27, 2025Download
ComparisonAWS X-Ray vs New RelicAug 27, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
Dynatrace4.410.2%95%349 interviewsAdd to research
Datadog4.38.5%97%188 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

AWS X-Ray allows tracing problems, monitors request timings, and provides error reports and latency insights. Its dashboard highlights performance issues, while endpoints and user monitoring offer easy implementation. It efficiently combines logs and metrics and aids in debugging with detailed logs and IP data. X-Ray supports compliance and security regulations. Users value the seamless integration process, service maps for troubleshooting, data correlation, and performance tuning capabilities for improved throughput and latency checks.
  • "AWS X-Ray's endpoints and user monitoring are considered the most valuable features."
  • "I would give AWS X-Ray a nine out of ten overall."
  • "AWS X-Ray shows us exactly when there are delays, helping us understand the depth of issues and what is happening point-to-point."

Room for Improvement

AWS X-Ray's user interface is not intuitive and configuring it is challenging. Developers find manual instrumentation difficult compared to other tools like Instana. There is a need for predefined log filters and broader support for AWS services. Enhancing SDKs for different languages, integrating with CloudPort, and adding anomaly detection could be beneficial. Users experience confusion with collector agents and issues with trace configurations, especially when using local services with AWS.
  • "AWS X-Ray should improve its implementation process to make it easier for developers."
  • "Compared to other open-source tools, AWS X-Ray needs improvement in providing discounts."
  • "Sometimes, the collector agents are confusing to configure initially."

ROI

AWS X-Ray has provided some users with significant returns on investment. 

Pricing

Enterprise buyers note that AWS X-Ray costs vary based on usage and scale, with pricing improving as relationships with Amazon develop. Typically, costs increase transitioning from small to large enterprises, though small businesses often benefit from the free tier. While AWS offers competitive service pricing, some users find AWS X-Ray relatively expensive compared to open-source alternatives. Discounts and cost-control improvements are desired to enhance affordability, especially for enterprises scaling their deployment.
  • "The solution is a bit expensive."
  • "As you develop a relationship with Amazon, your pricing gets lower. You get credits for the amount of the system you use, and then if you're the government, you can get government pricing. For commercial users, there's a hump when you go from small to medium to big enterprise. Small businesses can live pretty easily off the free tier in a lot of cases, but when you go from a medium to a big enterprise, it becomes more expensive on a per-user basis. I'd like to see that curve going in a different way where pricing can be driven down while people are trying to adopt the technology."
  • "The pricing for AWS X-Ray is a six out of ten."

Popular Use Cases

Companies primarily use AWS X-Ray for tracing microservices and application performance. It helps track HTTP requests, identify bottlenecks, analyze errors, and improve response times. Businesses integrate X-Ray for distributed tracing, monitoring system behavior, and enhancing code performance, especially when using AWS services. It is crucial for identifying service interconnections and debugging latency or stability issues. Organizations often use it with AWS CloudWatch, but may opt for third-party tools for comprehensive analysis.

Service and Support

Customers indicate they rarely contact AWS X-Ray support. They find AWS's general assistance reliable for other services. Many do not enable support due to partnership status and find the available documentation sufficient, organized, and clear. Those who rate support give it an eight out of ten. The need for direct assistance with AWS X-Ray is infrequent, suggesting confidence in their knowledge and resources without contacting support directly.

Deployment

Initial setup of AWS X-Ray is generally straightforward, requiring some configuration in AWS CloudFormation and code integration. Users rate complexity around seven out of ten. Deployment is quick, taking minutes to a few days, and manageable by one person. Challenges arise with deeper integrations, code insertion, and permissions. Migrating from AWS SDK 1.x to 2.x adds difficulty. Familiarity with the system aids in simplifying the process.

Scalability

AWS X-Ray is recognized by users for its exceptional scalability, with no issues reported during application scaling efforts. According to feedback, it effectively supports large user bases, including federal government projects with millions of users. Companies of different sizes successfully utilize AWS X-Ray across numerous applications, demonstrating its flexibility. Ratings provided range from seven to ten, indicating a high degree of satisfaction. The ease of scaling and additional features make it suitable for various use cases.

Stability

AWS X-Ray demonstrates good stability, with no crashes, freezes, or bugs. It is considered reliable and receives high ratings for its consistent performance. Users note its impressive stability, mentioning its high availability and adherence to SLAs. No significant issues related to AWS X-Ray have been reported, apart from an unrelated offshore data loss situation. Many have faced no problems and have confidence in its dependable operation.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our AWS X-Ray Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews
Company SizeCount
Small Business194
Midsize Enterprise114
Large Enterprise560
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Insurance Company
5%
Retailer
5%
University
5%
Government
4%
Real Estate/Law Firm
3%
Healthcare Company
3%
Media Company
3%
Outsourcing Company
3%
Educational Organization
2%
Energy/Utilities Company
2%
Transportation Company
2%
Performing Arts
2%
Non Profit
2%
Wholesaler/Distributor
1%
Hospitality Company
1%
Legal Firm
1%
Construction Company
1%
Recreational Facilities/Services Company
1%
Marketing Services Firm
1%
Consumer Goods Company
1%
Recruiting/Hr Firm
1%
Pharma/Biotech Company
1%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
1%
Engineering Company
1%

Compare AWS X-Ray with alternative products

Go!

Learn more about AWS X-Ray

With X-Ray, developers can visualize the entire request flow and pinpoint the exact location where errors occur. It provides detailed insights into the performance of individual components and helps optimize the overall application performance. 

X-Ray integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, making it easy to trace requests across different services and identify dependencies. It also offers a comprehensive set of APIs and SDKs, enabling developers to instrument their applications and capture valuable data for analysis. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, AWS X-Ray is a valuable tool for developers looking to improve the performance and reliability of their applications.

AWS X-Ray customers

COMCAST, ConnectWise, skyscanner, AirAsia, cookpad, cimpress, VTEX, zowdow

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Product Categories

Product Categories
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

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AWS X-Ray Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
Lead Software Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees4.5I use AWS X-Ray with various AWS services for distributed tracing, allowing me to check latency, identify bottlenecks, and improve performance. It provides real-time traces and valuable data insights, enhancing throughput and infrastructure tuning as an application developer.
Aws Cloud Engineer at Octavebytes3.5I used AWS X-Ray to identify bottlenecks in my application performance. Its dashboard and error analysis are beneficial, but it's expensive. It needs more SDKs, custom annotations, and anomaly detection. I switched from OpenTelemetry due to AWS integration.
Consult Manager at Conscia4.0I've used AWS X-Ray for a year to trace application performance and pinpoint bottlenecks across AWS services. It's easy to set up and use, though broader service support would enhance its capabilities. I rate it 8 out of 10.
Solutions Architect/ Analyst at a tech services company with 11-50 employees3.5I have used AWS X-Ray to diagnose performance issues in applications running on AWS Fargate and WordPress. While it efficiently displays delays and integrates logs and metrics, configuring collector agents, especially for on-premises or EC2 deployments, can be challenging.
VP of Products and Services at İHS Teknoloji3.0We use AWS X-Ray for monitoring code and system performance alongside other AWS products, appreciating its user-friendly interface for endpoint and user monitoring. However, its manual instrumentation needs improvement, as alternatives like Instana and AppDynamics are more user-friendly.
Founder & CEO at Quicklead.io5.0I utilize AWS X-Ray for tracing HTTP requests and managing errors effectively. It provides comprehensive error reporting and logging, improving efficiency compared to manually logging with AWS CloudWatch. While I haven't assessed ROI, I'm satisfied with its performance without needing alternatives.
CEO at noriba4.0We integrate AWS X-Ray to understand system behavior and identify bottlenecks in performance and stability. While interpreting data needs improvement, AWS X-Ray is our preferred choice despite customer restrictions, enhancing our experience with valuable insights and interconnected system views.
Managing Trustee and CTO at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees4.0AWS X-Ray provides a telemetry solution crucial for tracking application activity and achieving compliance and security levels, especially for the federal government. However, its user interface requires improvement, leading us to use TerraForm and Terragrunt for configuration.