diff --git a/packages/browser/src/exports.ts b/packages/browser/src/exports.ts
index 659b80bc8962..f46b55f45214 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/exports.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/exports.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export {
   getActiveSpan,
   startSpan,
   startInactiveSpan,
+  startSpanManual,
   SDK_VERSION,
   setContext,
   setExtra,
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tracing/index.ts b/packages/core/src/tracing/index.ts
index c4ed853c5316..7c42aad2a15d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tracing/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tracing/index.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ export { extractTraceparentData, getActiveTransaction } from './utils';
 export { SpanStatus } from './spanstatus';
 export type { SpanStatusType } from './span';
 // eslint-disable-next-line deprecation/deprecation
-export { trace, getActiveSpan, startSpan, startInactiveSpan, startActiveSpan } from './trace';
+export { trace, getActiveSpan, startSpan, startInactiveSpan, startActiveSpan, startSpanManual } from './trace';
 export { getDynamicSamplingContextFromClient } from './dynamicSamplingContext';
 export { setMeasurement } from './measurement';
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tracing/trace.ts b/packages/core/src/tracing/trace.ts
index 31671104bd02..8f9b226b4afb 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tracing/trace.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tracing/trace.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type { TransactionContext } from '@sentry/types';
 import { isThenable } from '@sentry/utils';
 
+import type { Hub } from '../hub';
 import { getCurrentHub } from '../hub';
 import { hasTracingEnabled } from '../utils/hasTracingEnabled';
 import type { Span } from './span';
@@ -23,25 +24,14 @@ export function trace<T>(
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-empty-function
   onError: (error: unknown) => void = () => {},
 ): T {
-  const ctx = { ...context };
-  // If a name is set and a description is not, set the description to the name.
-  if (ctx.name !== undefined && ctx.description === undefined) {
-    ctx.description = ctx.name;
-  }
+  const ctx = normalizeContext(context);
 
   const hub = getCurrentHub();
   const scope = hub.getScope();
-
   const parentSpan = scope.getSpan();
 
-  function createChildSpanOrTransaction(): Span | undefined {
-    if (!hasTracingEnabled()) {
-      return undefined;
-    }
-    return parentSpan ? parentSpan.startChild(ctx) : hub.startTransaction(ctx);
-  }
+  const activeSpan = createChildSpanOrTransaction(hub, parentSpan, ctx);
 
-  const activeSpan = createChildSpanOrTransaction();
   scope.setSpan(activeSpan);
 
   function finishAndSetSpan(): void {
@@ -89,25 +79,13 @@ export function trace<T>(
  * and the `span` returned from the callback will be undefined.
  */
 export function startSpan<T>(context: TransactionContext, callback: (span: Span | undefined) => T): T {
-  const ctx = { ...context };
-  // If a name is set and a description is not, set the description to the name.
-  if (ctx.name !== undefined && ctx.description === undefined) {
-    ctx.description = ctx.name;
-  }
+  const ctx = normalizeContext(context);
 
   const hub = getCurrentHub();
   const scope = hub.getScope();
-
   const parentSpan = scope.getSpan();
 
-  function createChildSpanOrTransaction(): Span | undefined {
-    if (!hasTracingEnabled()) {
-      return undefined;
-    }
-    return parentSpan ? parentSpan.startChild(ctx) : hub.startTransaction(ctx);
-  }
-
-  const activeSpan = createChildSpanOrTransaction();
+  const activeSpan = createChildSpanOrTransaction(hub, parentSpan, ctx);
   scope.setSpan(activeSpan);
 
   function finishAndSetSpan(): void {
@@ -146,6 +124,52 @@ export function startSpan<T>(context: TransactionContext, callback: (span: Span
  */
 export const startActiveSpan = startSpan;
 
+/**
+ * Similar to `Sentry.startSpan`. Wraps a function with a transaction/span, but does not finish the span
+ * after the function is done automatically.
+ *
+ * The created span is the active span and will be used as parent by other spans created inside the function
+ * and can be accessed via `Sentry.getActiveSpan()`, as long as the function is executed while the scope is active.
+ *
+ * Note that if you have not enabled tracing extensions via `addTracingExtensions`
+ * or you didn't set `tracesSampleRate`, this function will not generate spans
+ * and the `span` returned from the callback will be undefined.
+ */
+export function startSpanManual<T>(
+  context: TransactionContext,
+  callback: (span: Span | undefined, finish: () => void) => T,
+): T {
+  const ctx = normalizeContext(context);
+
+  const hub = getCurrentHub();
+  const scope = hub.getScope();
+  const parentSpan = scope.getSpan();
+
+  const activeSpan = createChildSpanOrTransaction(hub, parentSpan, ctx);
+  scope.setSpan(activeSpan);
+
+  function finishAndSetSpan(): void {
+    activeSpan && activeSpan.finish();
+    hub.getScope().setSpan(parentSpan);
+  }
+
+  let maybePromiseResult: T;
+  try {
+    maybePromiseResult = callback(activeSpan, finishAndSetSpan);
+  } catch (e) {
+    activeSpan && activeSpan.setStatus('internal_error');
+    throw e;
+  }
+
+  if (isThenable(maybePromiseResult)) {
+    Promise.resolve(maybePromiseResult).then(undefined, () => {
+      activeSpan && activeSpan.setStatus('internal_error');
+    });
+  }
+
+  return maybePromiseResult;
+}
+
 /**
  * Creates a span. This span is not set as active, so will not get automatic instrumentation spans
  * as children or be able to be accessed via `Sentry.getSpan()`.
@@ -178,3 +202,24 @@ export function startInactiveSpan(context: TransactionContext): Span | undefined
 export function getActiveSpan(): Span | undefined {
   return getCurrentHub().getScope().getSpan();
 }
+
+function createChildSpanOrTransaction(
+  hub: Hub,
+  parentSpan: Span | undefined,
+  ctx: TransactionContext,
+): Span | undefined {
+  if (!hasTracingEnabled()) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  return parentSpan ? parentSpan.startChild(ctx) : hub.startTransaction(ctx);
+}
+
+function normalizeContext(context: TransactionContext): TransactionContext {
+  const ctx = { ...context };
+  // If a name is set and a description is not, set the description to the name.
+  if (ctx.name !== undefined && ctx.description === undefined) {
+    ctx.description = ctx.name;
+  }
+
+  return ctx;
+}
diff --git a/packages/node/src/index.ts b/packages/node/src/index.ts
index ab8c82e5a3fd..c7d93ef16463 100644
--- a/packages/node/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/node/src/index.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ export {
   // eslint-disable-next-line deprecation/deprecation
   startActiveSpan,
   startInactiveSpan,
+  startSpanManual,
 } from '@sentry/core';
 export type { SpanStatusType } from '@sentry/core';
 export { autoDiscoverNodePerformanceMonitoringIntegrations } from './tracing';
diff --git a/packages/serverless/src/index.ts b/packages/serverless/src/index.ts
index 3d1a8c7c3aad..a17d0463202d 100644
--- a/packages/serverless/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/serverless/src/index.ts
@@ -55,4 +55,5 @@ export {
   // eslint-disable-next-line deprecation/deprecation
   startActiveSpan,
   startInactiveSpan,
+  startSpanManual,
 } from '@sentry/node';
diff --git a/packages/sveltekit/src/server/index.ts b/packages/sveltekit/src/server/index.ts
index b4a128843217..90c651a41175 100644
--- a/packages/sveltekit/src/server/index.ts
+++ b/packages/sveltekit/src/server/index.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ export {
   // eslint-disable-next-line deprecation/deprecation
   startActiveSpan,
   startInactiveSpan,
+  startSpanManual,
 } from '@sentry/node';
 
 // We can still leave this for the carrier init and type exports