diff --git a/docs/config/experimental.md b/docs/config/experimental.md
index 61797a690cdf..4dc627fdff37 100644
--- a/docs/config/experimental.md
+++ b/docs/config/experimental.md
@@ -117,9 +117,13 @@ Please, leave feedback regarding this feature in a [GitHub Discussion](https://g
 interface OpenTelemetryOptions {
   enabled: boolean
   /**
-   * A path to a file that exposes an OpenTelemetry SDK.
+   * A path to a file that exposes an OpenTelemetry SDK for Node.js.
    */
   sdkPath?: string
+  /**
+   * A path to a file that exposes an OpenTelemetry SDK for the browser.
+   */
+  browserSdkPath?: string
 }
 ```
 
@@ -133,9 +137,7 @@ OpenTelemetry may significantly impact Vitest performance; enable it only for lo
 
 You can use a [custom service](/guide/open-telemetry) together with Vitest to pinpoint which tests or files are slowing down your test suite.
 
-::: warning BROWSER SUPPORT
-At the moment, Vitest does not start any spans when running in [the browser](/guide/browser/).
-:::
+For browser mode, see the [Browser Mode](/guide/open-telemetry#browser-mode) section of the OpenTelemetry guide.
 
 An `sdkPath` is resolved relative to the [`root`](/config/root) of the project and should point to a module that exposes a started SDK instance as a default export. For example:
 
diff --git a/docs/guide/open-telemetry.md b/docs/guide/open-telemetry.md
index 2da29046c299..63168f07b5c4 100644
--- a/docs/guide/open-telemetry.md
+++ b/docs/guide/open-telemetry.md
@@ -84,6 +84,59 @@ test('db connects properly', async () => {
 })
 ```
 
+## Browser Mode
+
+When running tests in [browser mode](/guide/browser/), Vitest propagates trace context between Node.js and the browser. Node.js side traces (test orchestration, browser driver communication) are available without additional configuration.
+
+To capture traces from the browser runtime, provide a browser-compatible SDK via `browserSdkPath`:
+
+```shell
+npm i @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto
+```
+
+::: code-group
+```js [otel-browser.js]
+import {
+  BatchSpanProcessor,
+  WebTracerProvider,
+} from '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web'
+import { OTLPTraceExporter } from '@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto'
+
+const provider = new WebTracerProvider({
+  spanProcessors: [
+    new BatchSpanProcessor(new OTLPTraceExporter()),
+  ],
+})
+
+provider.register()
+export default provider
+```
+```js [vitest.config.js]
+import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
+
+export default defineConfig({
+  test: {
+    browser: {
+      enabled: true,
+      provider: 'playwright',
+      instances: [{ browser: 'chromium' }],
+    },
+    experimental: {
+      openTelemetry: {
+        enabled: true,
+        sdkPath: './otel.js',
+        browserSdkPath: './otel-browser.js',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+})
+```
+:::
+
+::: warning ASYNC CONTEXT
+Unlike Node.js, browsers do not have automatic async context propagation. Vitest handles this internally for test execution, but custom spans in deeply nested async code may not propagate context automatically.
+:::
+
 ## View Traces
 
 To generate traces, run Vitest as usual. You can run Vitest in either watch mode or run mode. Vitest will call `sdk.shutdown()` manually after everything is finished to make sure traces are handled properly.
diff --git a/examples/opentelemetry/jaeger-config.yml b/examples/opentelemetry/jaeger-config.yml
index bb629b7d147a..714bfc00b234 100644
--- a/examples/opentelemetry/jaeger-config.yml
+++ b/examples/opentelemetry/jaeger-config.yml
@@ -14,13 +14,15 @@ extensions:
     storage:
       traces: main_storage
 
+# https://opentelemetry.io/docs/languages/js/exporters/#configure-cors-headers
 receivers:
   otlp:
     protocols:
-      grpc:
-        endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4317
       http:
         endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4318
+        cors:
+          allowed_origins:
+            - http://localhost:*
 
 processors:
   batch:
diff --git a/examples/opentelemetry/otel-browser.js b/examples/opentelemetry/otel-browser.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e5d104400b89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/opentelemetry/otel-browser.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { OTLPTraceExporter } from '@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto'
+import { resourceFromAttributes } from '@opentelemetry/resources'
+import { BatchSpanProcessor, WebTracerProvider } from '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web'
+
+const provider = new WebTracerProvider({
+  resource: resourceFromAttributes({
+    'service.name': 'vitest-browser',
+  }),
+  spanProcessors: [
+    new BatchSpanProcessor(new OTLPTraceExporter()),
+    // you can add a ConsoleSpanExporter for debugging purposes
+    // (available in @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web)
+    // new SimpleSpanProcessor(new ConsoleSpanExporter()),
+  ],
+})
+
+provider.register({
+  // you can customize contextManager but browser support has limitation
+  // cf. https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-js/discussions/2060
+  // contextManager: new StackContextManager(), // this is the default (avialable in sdk-trace-web)
+  // contextManager: new ZoneContextManager(), // doesn't seem to help (avialable in @opentelemetry/context-zone)
+})
+
+export default provider
diff --git a/examples/opentelemetry/package.json b/examples/opentelemetry/package.json
index 0a9cbaca647e..6aa013e4ea88 100644
--- a/examples/opentelemetry/package.json
+++ b/examples/opentelemetry/package.json
@@ -8,7 +8,12 @@
     "test": "vitest"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
+    "@opentelemetry/api": "^1.9.0",
+    "@opentelemetry/context-zone": "^2.2.0",
+    "@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto": "^0.208.0",
+    "@opentelemetry/resources": "^2.2.0",
     "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.208.0",
+    "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web": "^2.2.0",
     "@vitest/browser-playwright": "latest",
     "vite": "latest",
     "vitest": "latest"
diff --git a/examples/opentelemetry/src/other.test.ts b/examples/opentelemetry/src/other.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..353c2ebfe3f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/opentelemetry/src/other.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import { trace } from '@opentelemetry/api'
+import { test } from 'vitest'
+
+test('other', async () => {
+  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 150))
+})
+
+test('custom', async () => {
+  // this starts span synchronously inside test function,
+  // so trace parent works without async context manager (e.g. on browser mode).
+
+  // console.log(context.active())
+  // > vitest.test.runner.test.callback
+  //   > custom-span
+
+  const tracer = trace.getTracer('custom-scope')
+  await tracer.startActiveSpan('custom-span', async (span) => {
+    span.setAttribute('custom-attribute', 'hello world')
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 50))
+    span.end()
+  })
+
+  // however the context is dropped on browser mode.
+  // console.log(context.active())
+})
+
+test.runIf(typeof document !== 'undefined')('browser test', async () => {
+  const { page } = await import('vitest/browser')
+  document.body.innerHTML = `<button>Hello Vitest</button>`
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Hello Vitest' }).click()
+})
diff --git a/examples/opentelemetry/vite.config.ts b/examples/opentelemetry/vite.config.ts
index 969493536a37..54e226fc9e52 100644
--- a/examples/opentelemetry/vite.config.ts
+++ b/examples/opentelemetry/vite.config.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
         // enable via CLI flag --experimental.openTelemetry.enabled=true
         enabled: false,
         sdkPath: './otel.js',
+        browserSdkPath: './otel-browser.js',
       },
     },
     browser: {
diff --git a/packages/browser/package.json b/packages/browser/package.json
index 6e4c2c562683..c46f419b6827 100644
--- a/packages/browser/package.json
+++ b/packages/browser/package.json
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
     "build": "premove dist && pnpm build:node && pnpm build:client",
     "build:client": "vite build src/client",
     "build:node": "rollup -c",
-    "dev:client": "vite build src/client --watch",
+    "dev:client": "node --watch-preserve-output --watch-path src/client scripts/build-client.js",
     "dev:node": "rollup -c --watch --watch.include 'src/**'",
     "dev": "premove dist && pnpm run --stream '/^dev:/'"
   },
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@
     "ws": "catalog:"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
+    "@opentelemetry/api": "^1.9.0",
     "@testing-library/user-event": "^14.6.1",
     "@types/pngjs": "^6.0.5",
     "@types/ws": "catalog:",
diff --git a/packages/browser/scripts/build-client.js b/packages/browser/scripts/build-client.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1da2641375b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/browser/scripts/build-client.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// wrapper script for `node --watch`.
+// this works around some issues with `vite build --watch`.
+import { spawn } from 'node:child_process'
+
+spawn('node', ['--run', 'build:client'], {
+  stdio: 'inherit',
+})
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/client/channel.ts b/packages/browser/src/client/channel.ts
index dd3cd5f2d0b9..e8cff74da8eb 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/client/channel.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/client/channel.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { CancelReason, FileSpecification } from '@vitest/runner'
+import type { OTELCarrier } from 'vitest/internal/browser'
 import { getBrowserState } from './utils'
 
 export interface IframeViewportEvent {
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ export interface IframePrepareEvent {
   event: 'prepare'
   iframeId: string
   startTime: number
+  otelCarrier?: OTELCarrier
 }
 
 export type GlobalChannelIncomingEvent = GlobalChannelTestRunCanceledEvent
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/client/orchestrator.ts b/packages/browser/src/client/orchestrator.ts
index 918f7bc17f7a..675d9331401d 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/client/orchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/client/orchestrator.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
+import type { Context as OTELContext } from '@opentelemetry/api'
 import type { GlobalChannelIncomingEvent, IframeChannelIncomingEvent, IframeChannelOutgoingEvent, IframeViewportDoneEvent, IframeViewportFailEvent } from '@vitest/browser/client'
 import type { FileSpecification } from '@vitest/runner'
 import type { BrowserTesterOptions, SerializedConfig } from 'vitest'
 import { channel, client, globalChannel } from '@vitest/browser/client'
 import { generateFileHash } from '@vitest/runner/utils'
 import { relative } from 'pathe'
+import { Traces } from 'vitest/internal/browser'
 import { getUiAPI } from './ui'
 import { getBrowserState, getConfig } from './utils'
 
@@ -16,9 +18,17 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
 
   public eventTarget: EventTarget = new EventTarget()
 
+  private traces: Traces
+
   constructor() {
     debug('init orchestrator', getBrowserState().sessionId)
 
+    const otelConfig = getBrowserState().config.experimental.openTelemetry
+    this.traces = new Traces({
+      enabled: !!(otelConfig?.enabled && otelConfig.browserSdkPath),
+      sdkPath: `/@fs/${otelConfig?.browserSdkPath}`,
+    })
+
     channel.addEventListener(
       'message',
       e => this.onIframeEvent(e),
@@ -30,6 +40,24 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
   }
 
   public async createTesters(options: BrowserTesterOptions): Promise<void> {
+    await this.traces.waitInit()
+    this.traces.recordInitSpan(
+      this.traces.getContextFromCarrier(getBrowserState().otelCarrier),
+    )
+    const orchestratorSpan = this.traces.startContextSpan(
+      'vitest.browser.orchestrator.run',
+      this.traces.getContextFromCarrier(options.otelCarrier),
+    )
+    orchestratorSpan.span.setAttributes({
+      'vitest.browser.files': options.files.map(f => f.filepath),
+    })
+    const endSpan = async () => {
+      orchestratorSpan.span.end()
+      // orchestrator doesn't know specific timing when it gets torn down,
+      // so we ensure flushing traces here after each run
+      await this.traces.flush()
+    }
+
     const startTime = performance.now()
 
     this.cancelled = false
@@ -49,7 +77,8 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
     }
 
     if (config.browser.isolate === false) {
-      await this.runNonIsolatedTests(container, options, startTime)
+      await this.runNonIsolatedTests(container, options, startTime, orchestratorSpan.context)
+      await endSpan()
       return
     }
 
@@ -58,6 +87,7 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
 
     for (let i = 0; i < options.files.length; i++) {
       if (this.cancelled) {
+        await endSpan()
         return
       }
 
@@ -69,8 +99,10 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
         file,
         options,
         startTime,
+        orchestratorSpan.context,
       )
     }
+    await endSpan()
   }
 
   public async cleanupTesters(): Promise<void> {
@@ -99,7 +131,12 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
     this.recreateNonIsolatedIframe = true
   }
 
-  private async runNonIsolatedTests(container: HTMLDivElement, options: BrowserTesterOptions, startTime: number) {
+  private async runNonIsolatedTests(
+    container: HTMLDivElement,
+    options: BrowserTesterOptions,
+    startTime: number,
+    otelContext: OTELContext,
+  ) {
     if (this.recreateNonIsolatedIframe) {
       // recreate a new non-isolated iframe during watcher reruns
       // because we called "cleanup" in the previous run
@@ -112,7 +149,7 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
 
     if (!this.iframes.has(ID_ALL)) {
       debug('preparing non-isolated iframe')
-      await this.prepareIframe(container, ID_ALL, startTime)
+      await this.prepareIframe(container, ID_ALL, startTime, otelContext)
     }
 
     const config = getConfig()
@@ -138,6 +175,7 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
     spec: FileSpecification,
     options: BrowserTesterOptions,
     startTime: number,
+    otelContext: OTELContext,
   ) {
     const config = getConfig()
     const { width, height } = config.browser.viewport
@@ -149,7 +187,12 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
       this.iframes.delete(file)
     }
 
-    const iframe = await this.prepareIframe(container, file, startTime)
+    const iframe = await this.prepareIframe(
+      container,
+      file,
+      startTime,
+      otelContext,
+    )
     await setIframeViewport(iframe, width, height)
     // running tests after the "prepare" event
     await sendEventToIframe({
@@ -172,7 +215,12 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
     return error
   }
 
-  private async prepareIframe(container: HTMLDivElement, iframeId: string, startTime: number) {
+  private async prepareIframe(
+    container: HTMLDivElement,
+    iframeId: string,
+    startTime: number,
+    otelContext: OTELContext,
+  ) {
     const iframe = this.createTestIframe(iframeId)
     container.appendChild(iframe)
 
@@ -194,6 +242,7 @@ export class IframeOrchestrator {
             event: 'prepare',
             iframeId,
             startTime,
+            otelCarrier: this.traces.getContextCarrier(otelContext),
           }).then(resolve, error => reject(this.dispatchIframeError(error)))
         }
       }
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/client/public/esm-client-injector.js b/packages/browser/src/client/public/esm-client-injector.js
index 0e0a0d9d28dc..9570d521c7a6 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/client/public/esm-client-injector.js
+++ b/packages/browser/src/client/public/esm-client-injector.js
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
     type: { __VITEST_TYPE__ },
     sessionId: { __VITEST_SESSION_ID__ },
     testerId: { __VITEST_TESTER_ID__ },
+    otelCarrier: { __VITEST_OTEL_CARRIER__ },
     provider: { __VITEST_PROVIDER__ },
     method: { __VITEST_METHOD__ },
     providedContext: { __VITEST_PROVIDED_CONTEXT__ },
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/client/tester/runner.ts b/packages/browser/src/client/tester/runner.ts
index 37fb0db73a08..cd780b05a5ca 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/client/tester/runner.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/client/tester/runner.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ import type {
   VitestRunner,
 } from '@vitest/runner'
 import type { SerializedConfig, TestExecutionMethod, WorkerGlobalState } from 'vitest'
+import type {
+  Traces,
+} from 'vitest/internal/browser'
 import type { VitestBrowserClientMocker } from './mocker'
 import type { CommandsManager } from './tester-utils'
 import { globalChannel, onCancel } from '@vitest/browser/client'
@@ -57,12 +60,14 @@ export function createBrowserRunner(
     public sourceMapCache = new Map<string, any>()
     public method = 'run' as TestExecutionMethod
     private commands: CommandsManager
+    private _otel!: Traces
 
     constructor(options: BrowserRunnerOptions) {
       super(options.config)
       this.config = options.config
       this.commands = getBrowserState().commands
       this.viteEnvironment = '__browser__'
+      this._otel = getBrowserState().traces
     }
 
     setMethod(method: TestExecutionMethod) {
@@ -296,9 +301,10 @@ export function createBrowserRunner(
       }
     }
 
-    // disable tracing in the browser for now
-    trace = undefined
-    __setTraces = undefined
+    trace = <T>(name: string, attributes: Record<string, any> | (() => T), cb?: () => T): T => {
+      const options: import('@opentelemetry/api').SpanOptions = typeof attributes === 'object' ? { attributes } : {}
+      return this._otel.$(`vitest.test.runner.${name}`, options, cb || attributes as () => T)
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester-utils.ts b/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester-utils.ts
index c22fef6c4c7c..9568214359bb 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester-utils.ts
@@ -113,20 +113,30 @@ export class CommandsManager {
   ): Promise<T> {
     const state = getWorkerState()
     const rpc = state.rpc as any as BrowserRPC
-    const { sessionId } = getBrowserState()
+    const { sessionId, traces } = getBrowserState()
     const filepath = state.filepath || state.current?.file?.filepath
     args = args.filter(arg => arg !== undefined) // remove optional fields
     if (this._listeners.length) {
       await Promise.all(this._listeners.map(listener => listener(command, args)))
     }
-    return rpc.triggerCommand<T>(sessionId, command, filepath, args).catch((err) => {
-      // rethrow an error to keep the stack trace in browser
-      // const clientError = new Error(err.message)
-      clientError.message = err.message
-      clientError.name = err.name
-      clientError.stack = clientError.stack?.replace(clientError.message, err.message)
-      throw clientError
-    })
+    return traces.$(
+      'vitest.browser.tester.command',
+      {
+        attributes: {
+          'vitest.browser.command': command,
+          'code.file.path': filepath,
+        },
+      },
+      () =>
+        rpc.triggerCommand<T>(sessionId, command, filepath, args).catch((err) => {
+          // rethrow an error to keep the stack trace in browser
+          // const clientError = new Error(err.message)
+          clientError.message = err.message
+          clientError.name = err.name
+          clientError.stack = clientError.stack?.replace(clientError.message, err.message)
+          throw clientError
+        }),
+    )
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester.ts b/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester.ts
index 54234d06cb36..db415b6d70b9 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/client/tester/tester.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   startCoverageInsideWorker,
   startTests,
   stopCoverageInsideWorker,
+  Traces,
 } from 'vitest/internal/browser'
 import { getBrowserState, getConfig, getWorkerState, moduleRunner } from '../utils'
 import { setupDialogsSpy } from './dialog'
@@ -25,6 +26,14 @@ const debug = debugVar && debugVar !== 'false'
   ? (...args: unknown[]) => client.rpc.debug?.(...args.map(String))
   : undefined
 
+const otelConfig = getConfig().experimental.openTelemetry
+const traces = new Traces({
+  enabled: !!(otelConfig?.enabled && otelConfig?.browserSdkPath),
+  sdkPath: `/@fs/${otelConfig?.browserSdkPath}`,
+})
+let rootTesterSpan: ReturnType<Traces['startContextSpan']> | undefined
+getBrowserState().traces = traces
+
 channel.addEventListener('message', async (e) => {
   await client.waitForConnection()
 
@@ -61,9 +70,19 @@ channel.addEventListener('message', async (e) => {
     }
     case 'cleanup': {
       await cleanup().catch(err => unhandledError(err, 'Cleanup Error'))
+      rootTesterSpan?.span.end()
+      await traces.finish()
       break
     }
     case 'prepare': {
+      await traces.waitInit()
+      const tracesContext = traces.getContextFromCarrier(data.otelCarrier)
+      traces.recordInitSpan(tracesContext)
+      rootTesterSpan = traces.startContextSpan(
+        `vitest.browser.tester.run`,
+        tracesContext,
+      )
+      traces.bind(rootTesterSpan.context)
       await prepare(data).catch(err => unhandledError(err, 'Prepare Error'))
       break
     }
@@ -182,12 +201,19 @@ async function executeTests(method: 'run' | 'collect', specifications: FileSpeci
     state.filepath = file.filepath
     debug?.('running test file', file.filepath)
 
-    if (method === 'run') {
-      await startTests([file], runner)
-    }
-    else {
-      await collectTests([file], runner)
-    }
+    await traces.$(
+      `vitest.test.runner.${method}.module`,
+      { attributes: { 'code.file.path': file.filepath },
+      },
+      async () => {
+        if (method === 'run') {
+          await startTests([file], runner)
+        }
+        else {
+          await collectTests([file], runner)
+        }
+      },
+    )
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/client/utils.ts b/packages/browser/src/client/utils.ts
index 5c1f9501ef53..860b59d7c1b3 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/client/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/client/utils.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { VitestRunner } from '@vitest/runner'
 import type { SerializedConfig, WorkerGlobalState } from 'vitest'
+import type { OTELCarrier, Traces } from 'vitest/internal/browser'
 import type { IframeOrchestrator } from './orchestrator'
 import type { CommandsManager } from './tester/tester-utils'
 
@@ -78,9 +79,11 @@ export interface BrowserRunnerState {
   iframeId?: string
   sessionId: string
   testerId: string
+  otelCarrier?: OTELCarrier
   method: 'run' | 'collect'
   orchestrator?: IframeOrchestrator
   commands: CommandsManager
+  traces: Traces
   cleanups: Array<() => unknown>
   cdp?: {
     on: (event: string, listener: (payload: any) => void) => void
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/node/plugin.ts b/packages/browser/src/node/plugin.ts
index 765d24c02066..29baa659239a 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/node/plugin.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/node/plugin.ts
@@ -325,6 +325,12 @@ export default (parentServer: ParentBrowserProject, base = '/'): Plugin[] => {
           include.push('@vue/test-utils')
         }
 
+        const otelConfig = project.config.experimental.openTelemetry
+        if (otelConfig?.enabled && otelConfig.browserSdkPath) {
+          entries.push(otelConfig.browserSdkPath)
+          include.push('@opentelemetry/api')
+        }
+
         return {
           define,
           resolve: {
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/node/serverOrchestrator.ts b/packages/browser/src/node/serverOrchestrator.ts
index 0d1d5b73b8c8..e9018d9a48c6 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/node/serverOrchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/node/serverOrchestrator.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export async function resolveOrchestrator(
     __VITEST_TYPE__: '"orchestrator"',
     __VITEST_SESSION_ID__: JSON.stringify(sessionId),
     __VITEST_TESTER_ID__: '"none"',
+    __VITEST_OTEL_CARRIER__: url.searchParams.get('otelCarrier') ?? 'null',
     __VITEST_PROVIDED_CONTEXT__: JSON.stringify(stringify(browserProject.project.getProvidedContext())),
     __VITEST_API_TOKEN__: JSON.stringify(globalServer.vitest.config.api.token),
   })
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/node/serverTester.ts b/packages/browser/src/node/serverTester.ts
index 92603616b07d..a2891ed34b8d 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/node/serverTester.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/node/serverTester.ts
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ export async function resolveTester(
     __VITEST_TYPE__: '"tester"',
     __VITEST_METHOD__: JSON.stringify('none'),
     __VITEST_SESSION_ID__: JSON.stringify(sessionId),
+    __VITEST_OTEL_CARRIER__: JSON.stringify(null),
     __VITEST_TESTER_ID__: JSON.stringify(crypto.randomUUID()),
     __VITEST_PROVIDED_CONTEXT__: '{}',
     __VITEST_API_TOKEN__: JSON.stringify(globalServer.vitest.config.api.token),
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts b/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts
index cc91e3651d8f..45e99c651dcb 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/node/config/resolveConfig.ts
@@ -810,6 +810,13 @@ export function resolveConfig(
     )
     resolved.experimental.openTelemetry.sdkPath = pathToFileURL(sdkPath).toString()
   }
+  if (resolved.experimental.openTelemetry?.browserSdkPath) {
+    const browserSdkPath = resolve(
+      resolved.root,
+      resolved.experimental.openTelemetry.browserSdkPath,
+    )
+    resolved.experimental.openTelemetry.browserSdkPath = browserSdkPath
+  }
   if (resolved.experimental.fsModuleCachePath) {
     resolved.experimental.fsModuleCachePath = resolve(
       resolved.root,
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/node/config/serializeConfig.ts b/packages/vitest/src/node/config/serializeConfig.ts
index 46b511afb49f..44943686bffc 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/node/config/serializeConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/node/config/serializeConfig.ts
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ export function serializeConfig(project: TestProject): SerializedConfig {
     experimental: {
       fsModuleCache: config.experimental.fsModuleCache ?? false,
       printImportBreakdown: config.experimental.printImportBreakdown,
+      openTelemetry: config.experimental.openTelemetry,
     },
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/node/pools/browser.ts b/packages/vitest/src/node/pools/browser.ts
index 920ab1a5cddb..03bd82fa6c6c 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/node/pools/browser.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/node/pools/browser.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
+import type { Context, Span } from '@opentelemetry/api'
 import type { FileSpecification } from '@vitest/runner'
 import type { DeferPromise } from '@vitest/utils/helpers'
+import type { Traces } from '../../utils/traces'
 import type { Vitest } from '../core'
 import type { ProcessPool } from '../pool'
 import type { TestProject } from '../project'
@@ -176,16 +178,30 @@ class BrowserPool {
 
   private readySessions = new Set<string>()
 
+  private _traces: Traces
+  private _otel: {
+    span: Span
+    context: Context
+  }
+
   constructor(
     private project: TestProject,
     private options: {
       maxWorkers: number
       origin: string
     },
-  ) {}
+  ) {
+    this._traces = project.vitest._traces
+    this._otel = this._traces.startContextSpan('vitest.browser')
+    this._otel.span.setAttributes({
+      'vitest.project': project.name,
+      'vitest.browser.provider': this.project.browser!.provider.name,
+    })
+  }
 
   public cancel(): void {
     this._queue = []
+    this._otel.span.end()
   }
 
   public reject(error: Error): void {
@@ -236,7 +252,17 @@ class BrowserPool {
       this.project.vitest._browserSessions.sessionIds.add(sessionId)
       const project = this.project.name
       debug?.('[%s] creating session for %s', sessionId, project)
-      const page = this.openPage(sessionId).then(() => {
+      let page = this._traces.$(
+        `vitest.browser.open`,
+        {
+          context: this._otel.context,
+          attributes: {
+            'vitest.browser.session_id': sessionId,
+          },
+        },
+        () => this.openPage(sessionId),
+      )
+      page = page.then(() => {
         // start running tests on the page when it's ready
         this.runNextTest(method, sessionId)
       })
@@ -256,6 +282,10 @@ class BrowserPool {
     const browser = this.project.browser!
     const url = new URL('/__vitest_test__/', this.options.origin)
     url.searchParams.set('sessionId', sessionId)
+    const otelCarrier = this._traces.getContextCarrier()
+    if (otelCarrier) {
+      url.searchParams.set('otelCarrier', JSON.stringify(otelCarrier))
+    }
     const pagePromise = browser.provider.openPage(
       sessionId,
       url.toString(),
@@ -276,6 +306,7 @@ class BrowserPool {
 
     // the last worker finished running tests
     if (this.readySessions.size === this.orchestrators.size) {
+      this._otel.span.end()
       this._promise?.resolve()
       this._promise = undefined
       debug?.('[%s] all tests finished running', sessionId)
@@ -320,15 +351,28 @@ class BrowserPool {
 
     this.setBreakpoint(sessionId, file.filepath).then(() => {
       // this starts running tests inside the orchestrator
-      orchestrator.createTesters(
+      const testersPromise = this._traces.$(
+        `vitest.browser.run`,
         {
-          method,
-          files: [file],
-          // this will be parsed by the test iframe, not the orchestrator
-          // so we need to stringify it first to avoid double serialization
-          providedContext: this._providedContext || '[{}]',
+          context: this._otel.context,
+          attributes: {
+            'code.file.path': file.filepath,
+          },
+        },
+        async () => {
+          return orchestrator.createTesters(
+            {
+              method,
+              files: [file],
+              // this will be parsed by the test iframe, not the orchestrator
+              // so we need to stringify it first to avoid double serialization
+              providedContext: this._providedContext || '[{}]',
+              otelCarrier: this._traces.getContextCarrier(),
+            },
+          )
         },
       )
+      testersPromise
         .then(() => {
           debug?.('[%s] test %s finished running', sessionId, file)
           this.runNextTest(method, sessionId)
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/node/types/config.ts b/packages/vitest/src/node/types/config.ts
index 412b9f7ce035..fcd1f881083e 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/node/types/config.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/node/types/config.ts
@@ -847,6 +847,7 @@ export interface InlineConfig {
     openTelemetry?: {
       enabled: boolean
       sdkPath?: string
+      browserSdkPath?: string
     }
     /**
      * Show imports (top 10) that take a long time.
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/public/browser.ts b/packages/vitest/src/public/browser.ts
index 930e99f52226..64ee91c05172 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/public/browser.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/public/browser.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export {
   loadSnapshotSerializers,
   setupCommonEnv,
 } from '../runtime/setup-common'
+export { type OTELCarrier, Traces } from '../utils/traces'
 export { collectTests, startTests } from '@vitest/runner'
 export * as SpyModule from '@vitest/spy'
 export type { LoupeOptions, ParsedStack, StringifyOptions } from '@vitest/utils'
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/runtime/config.ts b/packages/vitest/src/runtime/config.ts
index 13e09ce403a9..1e7cf9561eb9 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/runtime/config.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/runtime/config.ts
@@ -120,6 +120,11 @@ export interface SerializedConfig {
   experimental: {
     fsModuleCache: boolean
     printImportBreakdown: boolean | undefined
+    openTelemetry: {
+      enabled: boolean
+      sdkPath?: string
+      browserSdkPath?: string
+    } | undefined
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/runtime/workers/init.ts b/packages/vitest/src/runtime/workers/init.ts
index c97402e1d1c4..e992e2085064 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/runtime/workers/init.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/runtime/workers/init.ts
@@ -45,21 +45,16 @@ export function init(worker: Options): void {
         process.env.VITEST_WORKER_ID = String(message.workerId)
         reportMemory = message.options.reportMemory
 
-        const tracesStart = performance.now()
-
         traces ??= await new Traces({
           enabled: message.traces.enabled,
           sdkPath: message.traces.sdkPath,
         }).waitInit()
-        const tracesEnd = performance.now()
 
         const { environment, config, pool } = message.context
         const context = traces.getContextFromCarrier(message.traces.otelCarrier)
 
         // record telemetry as part of "start"
-        traces
-          .startSpan('vitest.runtime.traces', { startTime: tracesStart }, context)
-          .end(tracesEnd)
+        traces.recordInitSpan(context)
 
         try {
           const rpc = createRuntimeRpc(worker)
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/types/browser.ts b/packages/vitest/src/types/browser.ts
index 442a1961c1e0..8e8e704b5c62 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/types/browser.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/types/browser.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import type { FileSpecification } from '@vitest/runner'
+import type { OTELCarrier } from '../utils/traces'
 import type { TestExecutionMethod } from './worker'
 
 export interface BrowserTesterOptions {
   method: TestExecutionMethod
   files: FileSpecification[]
   providedContext: string
+  otelCarrier?: OTELCarrier
 }
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/utils/traces.ts b/packages/vitest/src/utils/traces.ts
index 71e3d09c80bb..062b316b9bb3 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/utils/traces.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/utils/traces.ts
@@ -41,10 +41,13 @@ export class Traces {
    * otel stands for OpenTelemetry
    */
   #otel: OTEL | null = null
-  #sdk: { shutdown: () => Promise<void> } | null = null
+  #sdk: { shutdown: () => Promise<void>; forceFlush?: () => Promise<void> } | null = null
   #init: Promise<unknown> | null = null
   #noopSpan = createNoopSpan()
   #noopContext = createNoopContext()
+  #initStartTime = performance.now()
+  #initEndTime = 0
+  #initRecorded = false
 
   constructor(options: TracesOptions) {
     if (options.enabled) {
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ export class Traces {
       }).catch(() => {
         throw new Error(`"@opentelemetry/api" is not installed locally. Make sure you have setup OpenTelemetry instrumentation: https://vitest.dev/guide/open-telemetry`)
       })
-      const sdkInit = (options.sdkPath ? import(options.sdkPath!) : Promise.resolve()).catch((cause) => {
+      const sdkInit = (options.sdkPath ? import(/* @vite-ignore */ options.sdkPath!) : Promise.resolve()).catch((cause) => {
         throw new Error(`Failed to import custom OpenTelemetry SDK script (${options.sdkPath}): ${cause.message}`)
       })
       this.#init = Promise.all([sdkInit, apiInit]).then(([sdk]) => {
@@ -74,6 +77,7 @@ export class Traces {
           }
         }
       }).finally(() => {
+        this.#initEndTime = performance.now()
         this.#init = null
       })
     }
@@ -93,6 +97,19 @@ export class Traces {
     return this
   }
 
+  /**
+   * @internal
+   */
+  recordInitSpan(context: Context): void {
+    if (this.#initRecorded) {
+      return
+    }
+    this.#initRecorded = true
+    this
+      .startSpan('vitest.runtime.traces', { startTime: this.#initStartTime }, context)
+      .end(this.#initEndTime)
+  }
+
   /**
    * @internal
    */
@@ -235,12 +252,34 @@ export class Traces {
     return tracer.startSpan(name, options, context)
   }
 
+  // On browser mode, async context is not automatically propagated,
+  // so we manually bind the `$` calls to the provided context.
+  // TODO: this doesn't bind to user land's `@optelemetry/api` calls
+  /**
+   * @internal
+   */
+  bind(context: Context) {
+    if (!this.#otel) {
+      return
+    }
+    const original = (this.$ as any).__original ?? this.$
+    this.$ = this.#otel.context.bind(context, original)
+    ;(this.$ as any).__original = original
+  }
+
   /**
    * @internal
    */
   async finish(): Promise<void> {
     await this.#sdk?.shutdown()
   }
+
+  /**
+   * @internal
+   */
+  async flush(): Promise<void> {
+    await this.#sdk?.forceFlush?.()
+  }
 }
 
 function noopSpan(this: Span) {
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 2103754dbee4..00ea0bcdb3ab 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -372,9 +372,24 @@ importers:
 
   examples/opentelemetry:
     devDependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/api':
+        specifier: ^1.9.0
+        version: 1.9.0
+      '@opentelemetry/context-zone':
+        specifier: ^2.2.0
+        version: 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
+      '@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto':
+        specifier: ^0.208.0
+        version: 0.208.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
+      '@opentelemetry/resources':
+        specifier: ^2.2.0
+        version: 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
       '@opentelemetry/sdk-node':
         specifier: ^0.208.0
         version: 0.208.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
+      '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web':
+        specifier: ^2.2.0
+        version: 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
       '@vitest/browser-playwright':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../../packages/browser-playwright
@@ -481,6 +496,9 @@ importers:
         specifier: 'catalog:'
         version: 8.18.3
     devDependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/api':
+        specifier: ^1.9.0
+        version: 1.9.0
       '@testing-library/user-event':
         specifier: ^14.6.1
         version: 14.6.1(@testing-library/dom@10.4.1)
@@ -1181,9 +1199,15 @@ importers:
 
   test/cli:
     devDependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/api':
+        specifier: ^1.9.0
+        version: 1.9.0
       '@opentelemetry/sdk-node':
         specifier: ^0.208.0
         version: 0.208.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
+      '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web':
+        specifier: ^2.2.0
+        version: 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
       '@test/test-dep-error':
         specifier: file:./deps/error
         version: file:test/cli/deps/error
@@ -3101,6 +3125,17 @@ packages:
     peerDependencies:
       '@opentelemetry/api': '>=1.0.0 <1.10.0'
 
+  '@opentelemetry/context-zone-peer-dep@2.2.0':
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-/jSqc9MDpI7abRYNoM77G7xrJL8RhvOoQzmWg4Exj642NN1+ZwsqW0EODgaR99/w06nS2IGgY7AJRt5eZY/6QQ==}
+    engines: {node: ^18.19.0 || >=20.6.0}
+    peerDependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/api': '>=1.0.0 <1.10.0'
+      zone.js: ^0.10.2 || ^0.11.0 || ^0.12.0 || ^0.13.0 || ^0.14.0 || ^0.15.0
+
+  '@opentelemetry/context-zone@2.2.0':
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-Wq0nUuRyVBmXIeISO1Sg9yTz+mUypCGjwGHSPR9iaY4f+n+F728+5hh85lko6fnm/oJAiKhmSmvvH/o8PhSUnw==}
+    engines: {node: ^18.19.0 || >=20.6.0}
+
   '@opentelemetry/core@2.2.0':
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-FuabnnUm8LflnieVxs6eP7Z383hgQU4W1e3KJS6aOG3RxWxcHyBxH8fDMHNgu/gFx/M2jvTOW/4/PHhLz6bjWw==}
     engines: {node: ^18.19.0 || >=20.6.0}
@@ -3245,6 +3280,12 @@ packages:
     peerDependencies:
       '@opentelemetry/api': '>=1.0.0 <1.10.0'
 
+  '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web@2.2.0':
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-x/LHsDBO3kfqaFx5qSzBljJ5QHsRXrvS4MybBDy1k7Svidb8ZyIPudWVzj3s5LpPkYZIgi9e+7tdsNCnptoelw==}
+    engines: {node: ^18.19.0 || >=20.6.0}
+    peerDependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/api': '>=1.0.0 <1.10.0'
+
   '@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions@1.38.0':
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-kocjix+/sSggfJhwXqClZ3i9Y/MI0fp7b+g7kCRm6psy2dsf8uApTRclwG18h8Avm7C9+fnt+O36PspJ/OzoWg==}
     engines: {node: '>=14'}
@@ -9698,6 +9739,9 @@ packages:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-zK7YHHz4ZXpW89AHXUPbQVGKI7uvkd3hzusTdotCg1UxyaVtg0zFJSTfW/Dq5f7OBBVnq6cZIaC8Ti4hb6dtCA==}
     engines: {node: '>= 14'}
 
+  zone.js@0.15.1:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-XE96n56IQpJM7NAoXswY3XRLcWFW83xe0BiAOeMD7K5k5xecOeul3Qcpx6GqEeeHNkW5DWL5zOyTbEfB4eti8w==}
+
   zustand@4.5.7:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-CHOUy7mu3lbD6o6LJLfllpjkzhHXSBlX8B9+qPddUsIfeF5S/UZ5q0kmCsnRqT1UHFQZchNFDDzMbQsuesHWlw==}
     engines: {node: '>=12.7.0'}
@@ -11285,6 +11329,18 @@ snapshots:
     dependencies:
       '@opentelemetry/api': 1.9.0
 
+  '@opentelemetry/context-zone-peer-dep@2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)(zone.js@0.15.1)':
+    dependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/api': 1.9.0
+      zone.js: 0.15.1
+
+  '@opentelemetry/context-zone@2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)':
+    dependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/context-zone-peer-dep': 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)(zone.js@0.15.1)
+      zone.js: 0.15.1
+    transitivePeerDependencies:
+      - '@opentelemetry/api'
+
   '@opentelemetry/core@2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)':
     dependencies:
       '@opentelemetry/api': 1.9.0
@@ -11500,6 +11556,12 @@ snapshots:
       '@opentelemetry/core': 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
       '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base': 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
 
+  '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web@2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)':
+    dependencies:
+      '@opentelemetry/api': 1.9.0
+      '@opentelemetry/core': 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
+      '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base': 2.2.0(@opentelemetry/api@1.9.0)
+
   '@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions@1.38.0': {}
 
   '@oxc-minify/binding-android-arm64@0.99.0':
@@ -18761,6 +18823,8 @@ snapshots:
       compress-commons: 6.0.2
       readable-stream: 4.1.0
 
+  zone.js@0.15.1: {}
+
   zustand@4.5.7(@types/react@19.2.7)(react@19.2.0):
     dependencies:
       use-sync-external-store: 1.4.0(react@19.2.0)
diff --git a/test/cli/fixtures/otel-tests/otel.browser.sdk.js b/test/cli/fixtures/otel-tests/otel.browser.sdk.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7f58f0656b16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cli/fixtures/otel-tests/otel.browser.sdk.js
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import {
+  WebTracerProvider,
+  ConsoleSpanExporter,
+  SimpleSpanProcessor,
+} from '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web'
+
+const provider = new WebTracerProvider({
+  spanProcessors: [
+    new SimpleSpanProcessor(new ConsoleSpanExporter()),
+  ],
+})
+provider.register()
+export default provider
diff --git a/test/cli/package.json b/test/cli/package.json
index b5bf52d7d6f4..324cacd3240b 100644
--- a/test/cli/package.json
+++ b/test/cli/package.json
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@
     "stacktraces": "vitest --root=./fixtures/stacktraces --watch=false"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
+    "@opentelemetry/api": "^1.9.0",
     "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.208.0",
+    "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-web": "^2.2.0",
     "@test/test-dep-error": "file:./deps/error",
     "@test/test-dep-linked": "link:./deps/linked",
     "@types/ws": "catalog:",
diff --git a/test/cli/test/open-telemetry.test.ts b/test/cli/test/open-telemetry.test.ts
index c269c5e2766c..9a7448202eb6 100644
--- a/test/cli/test/open-telemetry.test.ts
+++ b/test/cli/test/open-telemetry.test.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { TestUserConfig } from 'vitest/node'
 import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'
 import { test } from 'vitest'
 import { runVitest } from '../../test-utils'
@@ -20,13 +21,25 @@ describe.for([
         instances: [{ browser: 'chromium' as const }],
       },
     },
+    {
+      name: 'browser-sdk',
+      browser: {
+        enabled: true,
+        provider: playwright(),
+        headless: true,
+        instances: [{ browser: 'chromium' as const }],
+      },
+    },
   ])('$name doesn\'t crash vitest', async (custom) => {
-    const config = {
+    const config: TestUserConfig = {
       ...custom,
       experimental: {
         openTelemetry: {
           enabled: true,
           sdkPath: './otel.sdk.js',
+          browserSdkPath: custom.name === 'browser-sdk'
+            ? './otel.browser.sdk.js'
+            : undefined,
         },
       },
     }
diff --git a/test/core/test/exports.test.ts b/test/core/test/exports.test.ts
index 387fc6bcd75e..f26e9ff76104 100644
--- a/test/core/test/exports.test.ts
+++ b/test/core/test/exports.test.ts
@@ -230,6 +230,7 @@ it('exports snapshot', async ({ skip, task }) => {
           "./internal/browser": {
             "DecodedMap": "function",
             "SpyModule": "object",
+            "Traces": "function",
             "__INTERNAL": "object",
             "browserFormat": "function",
             "collectTests": "function",