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Comparison · DevOps

GraphHopper vs Prometheus

A side-by-side editorial comparison of GraphHopper and Prometheus — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

GraphHopper vs Prometheus: at a glance

FeatureGraphHopperPrometheus
SectorDevOpsDevOps
Velocity score2.55.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesrouting, openstreetmap, navigation, security-fixespromql, query-cost, tsdb, otlp
Last editorial update46m ago3h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is GraphHopper?

GraphHopper 11.1 is a security release, and 12.0 prerelease tags have started.

GraphHopper published 11.1 in October as a security release fixing what it calls critical vulnerabilities, without describing them; the attached change list largely repeats 11.0's OSM tag work, plus items such as trip-based public transit routing, scriptable turn penalties and POST /navigate. Alongside it, 12.0-pre1 and 12.0-pre3 tags and an odd 11.0-alpha1 tag appeared with only commit messages. The roughly yearly major cadence (10.0 in late 2024, 11.0 in October 2025) points at 12.0 as the next major.

Read the full GraphHopper trajectory →

What is Prometheus?

Prometheus 3.16 turns query cost into a setting while its smoothed selectors go stable

Prometheus is working toward 3.16, with rc.2 dated 27 October. The candidate makes Smoothed and Anchored vector selectors stable and always-on, adds experimental query cost estimation with configurable execution limits behind --enable-feature=query-cost, and brings metadata-wal-records to Agent mode. The patch tracks are moving separately: 3.15.1 and 3.13.5 both distrust two root CAs after the eMudhra key compromise and rebuild on patched Go releases.

Read the full Prometheus trajectory →

GraphHopper vs Prometheus: editorial side-by-side

G2.5

GraphHopper 11.1 is a security release, and 12.0 prerelease tags have started.

◆ Current state

GraphHopper published 11.1 in October as a security release fixing what it calls critical vulnerabilities, without describing them; the attached change list largely repeats 11.0's OSM tag work, plus items such as trip-based public transit routing, scriptable turn penalties and POST /navigate. Alongside it, 12.0-pre1 and 12.0-pre3 tags and an odd 11.0-alpha1 tag appeared with only commit messages. The roughly yearly major cadence (10.0 in late 2024, 11.0 in October 2025) points at 12.0 as the next major.

◆ Where it's heading

The engine's recent work is routing quality, reading OSM tags more faithfully per mode, and that continues in the 11.x list. The 12.0 prereleases suggest the next major is in preparation, but their notes give no content. Security disclosure is thin: 11.1 is labelled critical without naming the issue.

◆ Prediction

A 12.0 release is the next likely major entry given the prerelease tags; its contents can't be read from these entries.

Prometheus logo5.0

Prometheus 3.16 turns query cost into a setting while its smoothed selectors go stable

◆ Current state

Prometheus is working toward 3.16, with rc.2 dated 27 October. The candidate makes Smoothed and Anchored vector selectors stable and always-on, adds experimental query cost estimation with configurable execution limits behind --enable-feature=query-cost, and brings metadata-wal-records to Agent mode. The patch tracks are moving separately: 3.15.1 and 3.13.5 both distrust two root CAs after the eMudhra key compromise and rebuild on patched Go releases.

◆ Where it's heading

The 3.16 notes spend most of their length on correctness and cost rather than new surface: TSDB out-of-order sample loss, exemplar handling in OTLP and OpenMetrics 2.0, and a long list of parser and memory reductions. Query cost limits are the one addition aimed at operators of shared servers, since a limit on execution is a control that sample counts alone never gave them. Start-timestamp handling also keeps widening, now with a per-query header and counter-reset detection on anchored and smoothed selectors, though it stays behind its feature flag.

◆ Prediction

A 3.16.0 final is the next move, given this candidate has reached rc.2. Query cost and start-timestamp handling both remain behind flags in these notes, so expect feedback on those before either becomes a default.

Alternatives to GraphHopper and Prometheus

Other DevOps 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 GraphHopper or Prometheus.

See all GraphHopper alternatives → · See all Prometheus alternatives →

Recent activity from GraphHopper and Prometheus

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 4d agoPrometheus3.16.0-rc.2: query cost limits, smoothed selectors go stable
  2. 11d agoPrometheus3.15.1: distrusts two root CAs, patches Go and HTTP/2
  3. 11d agoGraphHopper11.1 security release for undisclosed critical vulnerabilities
  4. 11d agoPrometheus3.13.5: LTS gets the CA distrust and Go security rebuild
  5. 1mo agoPrometheus3.13.4: gRPC fix, native histogram corrections on LTS
  6. 1mo agoGraphHopper12.0-pre3 prerelease tag (no notes)
  7. 1mo agoGraphHopperRelease tag adapting to Sonatype publishing
  8. 1mo agoGraphHopper12.0-pre1 prerelease tag (no notes)
  9. 1mo agoPrometheus3.13.3 / 2026-09-07
  10. 2mo agoPrometheus3.14.0 / 2026-08-17
  11. 1y agoGraphHopper11.0 refines mode-specific OSM tag handling and adds POST /navigate
  12. 1y agoGraphHopper10.2 fixes an import failure on recent OSM turn restriction data

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between GraphHopper and Prometheus?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Prometheus is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), 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 GraphHopper better than Prometheus?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Prometheus is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other DevOps products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to GraphHopper?

Top GraphHopper alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "GraphHopper alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/graphhopper for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Prometheus?

Top Prometheus alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Prometheus alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/prometheus for the full list with editorial commentary on each.