Softwr

Software · head to head

Airbrake vs Graylog Plus

Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Software

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Graylog Plus logo

Graylog Plus

Software

Enterprise Log Aggregation and SIEM

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; Graylog Plus pricing is not published on the product pages
  • They diverge on capability: Airbrake covers Error tracking, Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbrake and Graylog Plus actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbrake and Graylog Plus differ
AttributeAirbrakeGraylog Plus
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20082011

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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

Only in Graylog Plus

  • Log aggregation
  • SIEM capabilities
  • Advanced parsing
  • Compliance

Both cover

  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

Airbrake

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

Graylog Plus

  • Centralised log collection, search and analysisnot Airbrake
  • SIEM and threat detection through Graylog Securitynot Airbrake
  • Self-hosting log management on your own infrastructurenot Airbrake
  • API security monitoringnot Airbrake
  • Compliance reporting from retained log datanot 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

Graylog Plus

  • Pricing is not published on the product pages
  • Split across several editions, Graylog Open, Enterprise, Security and API Security, so log management and SIEM are separate purchases
  • The open edition is source-available rather than fully open source, and the guided setup, prebuilt content and AI assistance are Enterprise features

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbrake

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Error tracking
    • Performance monitoring
    • Deploy tracking

Graylog Plus

On request
  • Starter$undefined/month
    • Log aggregation
    • SIEM capabilities
    • Advanced parsing

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 Graylog Plus if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want siem capabilities.
Graylog Plus review

Questions people ask

Is Airbrake or Graylog Plus better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and Graylog Plus at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbrake or Graylog Plus?
Airbrake has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airbrake and On request for Graylog Plus.
Does Airbrake or Graylog Plus run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Airbrake for free?
Yes. Airbrake has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Graylog Plus 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 Graylog Plus is typically brought in for.
What can Airbrake do that Graylog Plus cannot?
Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation, SIEM capabilities, Advanced parsing, Compliance. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Airbrake

More on Graylog Plus

Keep looking

Other head to heads