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Logging · head to head

Airbrake vs Elastic

Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Logging

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Elastic logo

Elastic

Logging

Search AI powered by Elasticsearch

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Airbrake has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier; Elastic no specific pricing amounts published on pricing page; customer must contact sales or start trial
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbrake and Elastic actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbrake and Elastic differ
AttributeAirbrakeElastic
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded2008Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbrake

  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring
  • Deploy tracking
  • Custom notifications
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Elastic

Nothing recorded that Airbrake does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbrake

  • Error and exception monitoring for web applicationsnot Elastic
  • Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot Elastic
  • Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot Elastic
  • Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot Elastic

Elastic

  • Building ecommerce search experiences with vector databases and AInot Airbrake
  • Monitoring application performance and resolving infrastructure issues at scalenot Airbrake
  • Investigating security incidents across distributed cloud infrastructurenot Airbrake
  • Analyzing customer support logs to identify recurring issuesnot Airbrake

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbrake

  • Data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
  • The entry plan at $19 a month covers 25,000 errors and 7,500 events
  • Errors beyond the plan quota are billed on demand
  • Audit logs and spike forgiveness require the Pro tier
  • The lowest tier is limited to 1 user and 1 team

Elastic

  • No specific pricing amounts published on pricing page; customer must contact sales or start trial
  • Three deployment models (Cloud Hosted, Cloud Serverless, Self-managed) have different pricing structures

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbrake

Free
  • Tier 1 (Dev + errors)$19/month
    • 25,000 errors per month
    • 1 user
    • 1 team
  • Tier 2 (Basic + errors)$38/month
    • 100,000 errors per month
    • Unlimited users
    • 3 teams
  • Pro$76/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited teams
    • Unlimited projects
  • Tier 5 (Growth)$299/month
    • 1 million errors per month

Elastic

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbrake if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want performance monitoring.
Airbrake review

Choose Elastic if

Nothing in the data separates Elastic from Airbrake on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Elastic review

Questions people ask

Is Airbrake or Elastic better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and Elastic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbrake or Elastic?
Airbrake has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airbrake and On request for Elastic.
Does Airbrake or Elastic run on more platforms?
Airbrake runs on Web, Api. Elastic runs on Web.
Can I use Airbrake for free?
Yes. Airbrake has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Elastic starts at On request.
What is Airbrake best used for?
Airbrake is most often used for error and exception monitoring for web applications, performance monitoring alongside error tracking, alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errors, tracking errors across multiple projects in one account. Of those, error and exception monitoring for web applications and performance monitoring alongside error tracking are not what Elastic is typically brought in for.
What can Airbrake do that Elastic cannot?
Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Airbrake: What is the lowest-cost Airbrake plan and what does it include?

Tier 1 costs $19 per month and includes 25,000 errors per month, 1 user seat, 1 team, and unlimited projects. This plan targets individual developers. A 10% discount applies when paying annually ($17.10 per month).

Source
Elastic: What are Elastic's deployment pricing options?

Elastic offers three deployment models: Elastic Cloud Hosted (resource-based, pay-as-you-go or prepaid monthly), Elastic Cloud Serverless (usage-based on search/indexing consumption, pay-as-you-go or prepaid), and Self-managed (license-based on nodes and RAM). Actual dollar amounts are not published and require contacting sales or starting a free trial.

Source
Airbrake: Which Airbrake plan is marked as the best value?

The Pro plan at $76 per month is marked as Best Value. It includes unlimited users, unlimited teams, unlimited projects, audit logs, and spike forgiveness. Annual billing provides a 10% discount ($68 per month).

Source
Elastic: Does Elastic Cloud Serverless have feature limitations?

Yes, Elastic Cloud Serverless deployments have 'Most solution and platform capabilities' with some upcoming features not yet available, including traffic filtering, cross-project search, and bring-your-own-key encryption.

Source
Airbrake: How many errors per month does each Airbrake tier allow?

Tier 1 allows 25,000 errors per month at $19/month. Tier 2 allows 100,000 errors at $38/month. Tier 4 allows 300,000 errors at $129/month. Tier 5 allows 1 million errors at $299/month. Tier 6 allows 5 million errors at $799/month.

Source
Elastic: How can you get Elastic pricing?

Elastic directs customers to start a free trial, contact sales for specific quotes, or visit dedicated pricing pages for individual products (Elasticsearch, Observability, Security).

Source
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