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Software · head to head

Airbrake vs Splunk

Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Software

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splunk logo

Splunk

Software

Turn Data Into Doing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier; Splunk no prices are published on any plan; every model requires contacting sales for an estimate
  • They diverge on capability: Airbrake covers Error tracking, Splunk covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbrake and Splunk actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbrake and Splunk differ
AttributeAirbrakeSplunk
Founded20082003

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), 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 Splunk

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Data visualization
  • Full-text search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Alert management
  • Anomaly detection
  • Log parsing

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 Splunk
  • Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot Splunk
  • Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot Splunk
  • Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot Splunk

Splunk

  • Log search and analysis across infrastructurenot Airbrake
  • SIEM, SOAR and UEBA for a security operations teamnot Airbrake
  • Application performance and infrastructure monitoringnot Airbrake
  • Cloud, private cloud or on-premises deploymentnot 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

Splunk

  • No prices are published on any plan; every model requires contacting sales for an estimate
  • Three separate pricing models, workload, ingest and entity, so the same deployment costs different amounts depending on which was signed
  • Ingest pricing bills on data volume, so cost tracks how much you log rather than how much value you get from it
  • Security, observability and platform are priced separately

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbrake

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

Splunk

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time monitoring
    • Data visualization

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 Splunk if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time monitoring.
Splunk review

Questions people ask

Is Airbrake or Splunk better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and Splunk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbrake or Splunk?
Airbrake starts at Free and Splunk at Free.
Does Airbrake or Splunk 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?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Splunk is typically brought in for.
What can Airbrake do that Splunk cannot?
Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. Splunk covers Log aggregation, Real-time monitoring, Data visualization, Full-text search. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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