> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://rudderlabs.gitbook.io/rudderlabs-1/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://rudderlabs.gitbook.io/rudderlabs-1/docs/get-started/cloud-vs-open-source.md).
# RudderStack Cloud vs. RudderStack Open Source
Detailed guide comparing features available in RudderStack's two offerings - Cloud and Open Source.
This guide compares the features present in the two primary [RudderStack](https://rudderstack.com/) offerings - [RudderStack Cloud](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=freetrial) and [RudderStack Open Source](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=opensource). It will help you in choosing the best option suited to your requirements.
RudderStack also offers three plans as a part of [RudderStack Cloud](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=freetrial) : Free, Pro, and Enterprise. Refer to the [Pricing](https://www.rudderstack.com/pricing/) page for detailed comparison and additional information on these plans.
## Feature comparison
### Setup and customizability
| Feature | RudderStack Cloud | RudderStack Open Source | Comments |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Data plane setup](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-open-source/installing-and-setting-up-rudderstack/) in your own environment | ✕ | ✓ | Cloud uses the RudderStack-hosted [data plane](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/get-started/rudderstack-architecture/). |
| [Control plane setup](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-open-source/control-plane-lite/) in your own environment | ✕ | ✓ | Cloud uses the RudderStack-hosted [web app](https://app.rudderstack.com/) to manage your connections. |
| Customize the data plane [config parameters](https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/blob/master/config/config.yaml) | ✕ | ✓ | - |
For more information on the data plane and control plane setup options in RudderStack Cloud and Open Source, refer to the [FAQ](#faq) section below.
### Event-related features
| Feature | RudderStack Cloud | RudderStack Open Source | Comments |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Event-related metrics | ✓ | ✓ | Get information on the number of events ingested during a specified timeframe. |
| [Event backup in your own bucket](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/user-guides/administrators-guide/bucket-configuration-settings/) | ✓ | ✓ | RudderStack can manage it for you as a part of the [Enterprise plan](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/). |
| [Live events](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-cloud/live-events/) | ✓ | ✕ | This feature is applicable only for [cloud mode](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-cloud/rudderstack-connection-modes/#cloud-mode) destinations. |
| RudderStack-hosted object storage | ✓ | ✕ | You can use the RudderStack-hosted bucket to temporarily store your events before forwarding them to your warehouse destination. |
| [Event Replay](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/user-guides/administrators-guide/event-replay/) | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
| Maintaining event ordering | ✓ | ✓ | - For Cloud, this is an Enterprise-only feature.
- Event ordering is supported in an open source setup but not guaranteed.
|
| [Transformations](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/transformations/) | ✓ | ✓ | - In case of Open Source, this feature is only applicable for the RudderStack-hosted control plane and users can set upto 3 transformations.
- In case of RudderStack Cloud Free, users can set upto 3 transformations.
- Pro and Enterprise users can set up unlimited transformations.
- It can be used only for cloud mode destinations.
|
### ETL and Reverse ETL
| Feature | RudderStack Cloud | RudderStack Open Source | Comments |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------- | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Cloud Extract (ETL)](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/cloud-extract-sources/) | ✓ | ✕ | [RudderStack Cloud Free](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=freetrial) users can set up only 1 Cloud Extract source. Pro and Enterprise users can set up unlimited sources. |
| [Reverse ETL](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/reverse-etl/) | ✓ | ✕ | [RudderStack Cloud Free](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=freetrial) users can set up only 1 Reverse ETL source. Pro and Enterprise users can set up unlimited sources. |
| Data syncs scheduling | ✓ | ✕ | - |
| [Models](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/reverse-etl/features/models/) | ✓ | ✕ | Models let you define and run custom SQL queries on your warehouse and send the resulting data to specific destinations. |
### Data governance
| Feature | RudderStack Cloud | RudderStack Open Source | Comments |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [Data governance](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/data-governance/) | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
| [Tracking plans](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/data-governance/tracking-plans/) | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
| [Data regulation and suppression](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-api/data-regulation-api/) | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
### Deployment and security
| Feature | RudderStack Cloud | RudderStack Open Source | Comments |
| ------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Multi-node scaling | ✓ | ✕ | Available for Pro and Enterprise users. |
| Single sign-on(SSO) | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
| VPC deployment | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
### Monitoring and observability
| Feature | RudderStack Cloud | RudderStack Open Source | Comments |
| --------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Grafana dashboards for monitoring | ✓ | ✕ | Available for Pro and Enterprise users. |
| Alerting and error notifications | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
### Auditing and user management
| Feature | RudderStack Cloud | RudderStack Open Source | Comments |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Ability to add other team members in the workspace | ✓ | ✕ | You can invite upto 3 members in your workspace in [RudderStack Cloud Free](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=freetrial), upto 10 members in Pro, and unlimited members in the Enterprise plan. |
| Audit logs | ✓ | ✕ | This is an [Enterprise-only](https://www.rudderstack.com/enterprise-quote/) feature. |
## FAQ
### What is the data plane and control plane in RudderStack? How do I set them up?
The data plane is RudderStack's core engine responsible for receiving the event data, transforming it into the required destination format, before relaying those events to the destination.
The control plane manages the configuration of your sources and destinations in RudderStack.
For more information on the data plane and control plane in RudderStack, refer to the [Architecture](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/get-started/rudderstack-architecture/) guide.
In case of [RudderStack Cloud](https://rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-cloud/), RudderStack self-hosts the data plane and the control plane so you don't have to worry about their setup.
For [RudderStack Open Source](https://rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-open-source/), you get the following data plane and control plane setup options:
* You need to [set up the data plane](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-open-source/installing-and-setting-up-rudderstack/) in your own environment. **RudderStack will not host it for you**.
* For the control plane, you can either use the [RudderStack-hosted control plane](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=opensource) or [set up your own control plane](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-open-source/control-plane-lite/).
Features like [Transformations](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/transformations/) and [Live Events](https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/rudderstack-cloud/live-events/) are not available if you self-host the control plane.
## Contact us
For more information or queries on this guide, you can [contact us](mailto:%20docs@rudderstack.com) or start a conversation in our [Slack](https://rudderstack.com/join-rudderstack-slack-community) community.