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Comparison · Analytics
Zipkin vs Countly
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Zipkin and Countly — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Zipkin vs Countly: at a glance
What is Zipkin?
Zipkin's last release was January 2025 — a dependency bump, and then nothing.
The recent history is three consecutive maintenance releases whose entire content is dependency and base-image updates: 3.4.3 aligned Maven versions with the Docker images, 3.4.2 and 3.4.1 moved Spring Boot, Netty, Micrometer, Armeria, Alpine and the JRE forward to clear CVEs. The last release carrying a feature was 3.4 in May 2024, which added OpenSearch v2 as a storage backend using the existing ES_-prefixed environment variables.
What is Countly?
Countly 25.03.59 defaults to Node 26, supports MongoDB 9 and tightens app scoping.
Countly 25.03.59 on November 13 is a large LTS patch. Clean installs and Docker images move to Node.js 26 and MongoDB 9.0, with older versions still working, and arm64 Docker images arrive. Security fixes tighten which apps a scoped token or member can reach across exports, dashboards, alerts and data tools, and wrong two-factor codes now count toward lockout.
Zipkin vs Countly: editorial side-by-side
Zipkin
0.0ANALYTICS
Zipkin's last release was January 2025 — a dependency bump, and then nothing.
◆ Current state
The recent history is three consecutive maintenance releases whose entire content is dependency and base-image updates: 3.4.3 aligned Maven versions with the Docker images, 3.4.2 and 3.4.1 moved Spring Boot, Netty, Micrometer, Armeria, Alpine and the JRE forward to clear CVEs. The last release carrying a feature was 3.4 in May 2024, which added OpenSearch v2 as a storage backend using the existing ES_-prefixed environment variables.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a project in preservation rather than development. The pattern across the window — feature in May 2024, then three releases of purely defensive dependency work, then silence since January 2025 — describes a mature tracing server being kept safe to run rather than extended. The distributed-tracing work that would once have landed here now largely happens in OpenTelemetry, which Zipkin interoperates with rather than competes against.
◆ Prediction
The feed has produced nothing for nineteen months, so the honest read is that no next release is scheduled. If one comes, the shape of the last three says it will be another dependency and base-image refresh rather than new capability.
Countly
5.0ANALYTICS
Countly 25.03.59 defaults to Node 26, supports MongoDB 9 and tightens app scoping.
◆ Current state
Countly 25.03.59 on November 13 is a large LTS patch. Clean installs and Docker images move to Node.js 26 and MongoDB 9.0, with older versions still working, and arm64 Docker images arrive. Security fixes tighten which apps a scoped token or member can reach across exports, dashboards, alerts and data tools, and wrong two-factor codes now count toward lockout.
◆ Where it's heading
Countly is still mostly hardening access control, carrying the token-scoping work from 25.03.58 into every plugin that reads or changes app data. At the same time it keeps the self-hosted stack on current runtimes.
◆ Prediction
Expect a 24.05 patch that backports these scoping fixes, as 24.05.55 did after 25.03.58.
Alternatives to Zipkin and Countly
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Zipkin or Countly.
Dovetail
Dovetail lets admins choose which connectors members can plug into the workspace.
Dagster
Dagster drops Python 3.10 and lets agents run schedules and sensors through MCP.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse adds time-zone-aware retention and per-database table caps.
Kubecost
Kubecost cuts three 3.3.2 release candidates in two days, still without notes.
RStudio
RStudio opens the 2026.11 train with another NOTICE file update.
See all Zipkin alternatives → · See all Countly alternatives →
Recent activity from Zipkin and Countly
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 16h agoCountlyCountly 25.03.59: Node 26, MongoDB 9, app scoping fixes
- 14d agoCountlyCountly 24.05.55: token rules backported, Node 22 move
- 17d agoCountlyCountly 25.03.58: token scoping, revocation and access fixes
- 19d agoCountlyCountly 25.03.57-LTS distrusts emSign roots, fixes A/B setup
- 21d agoCountlyCountly 25.03.56-LTS: Node CVE patch, licence overdue banner
- 1mo agoCountlyCountly 25.03.55: throttled active-user refresh, explicit DB names
- 1y agoZipkinMaven versions realigned with the Docker images
- 2y agoZipkinSpring Boot, Netty and Micrometer updated to clear CVEs
- 2y agoZipkinDependency and base-image updates for CVEs
- 2y agoZipkinZipkin 3.4
- 2y agoZipkinSpring Boot 3.3 and Alpine 3.20, with an OpenSearch test image
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Zipkin and Countly?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Countly is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Zipkin better than Countly?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Countly is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Zipkin?
Top Zipkin alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Zipkin alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/zipkin for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Countly?
Top Countly alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Countly alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/countly-server for the full list with editorial commentary on each.