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AppDynamics vs Sumo Logic

AppDynamics logo

AppDynamics

Logging

Enterprise Application Performance Management

From
$6/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sumo Logic logo

Sumo Logic

Logging

Cloud Monitoring, Logging, and Security Analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sumo Logic has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AppDynamics appdynamics.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to Splunk's observability pricing page; the product is now sold as Splunk AppDynamics; Sumo Logic neither the Essentials nor the Enterprise Suite package lists a price on the pricing page; both link to Contact Sales
  • They diverge on capability: AppDynamics covers Application performance monitoring, Sumo Logic covers Log aggregation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AppDynamics and Sumo Logic actually diverge.

Attributes where AppDynamics and Sumo Logic differ
AttributeAppDynamicsSumo Logic
Starting price$6/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierNoYes
Founded20082010

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), 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 AppDynamics

  • Application performance monitoring
  • Distributed tracing
  • Alert management

Only in Sumo Logic

  • Log aggregation
  • Metrics collection
  • Custom dashboards

Both cover

  • Real-time analytics
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

AppDynamics

  • Application performance monitoring for Java, .NET and other enterprise application stacksnot Sumo Logic
  • Business transaction tracing across distributed application tiersnot Sumo Logic
  • Infrastructure monitoring priced per vCPUnot Sumo Logic

Sumo Logic

  • Cloud-native log analytics across applications and infrastructurenot AppDynamics
  • Running a SIEM with MITRE ATT&CK mapped detections and UEBAnot AppDynamics
  • Compliance and audit readiness reporting from log datanot AppDynamics

Where each one falls short

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

AppDynamics

  • appdynamics.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to Splunk's observability pricing page; the product is now sold as Splunk AppDynamics
  • Infrastructure Edition starts at $6 per vCPU per month billed annually, so cost scales with core count rather than host count
  • Premium Edition starts at $33 per host per month and Enterprise Edition at $50 per host per month, both billed annually
  • The published figures are starting prices only, with volume pricing requiring a sales quote

Sumo Logic

  • Neither the Essentials nor the Enterprise Suite package lists a price on the pricing page; both link to Contact Sales
  • Quoted per GB figures assume an annual commitment, an average of 1 GB of log ingest per day and a US deployment region
  • Pricing varies by the AWS deployment region chosen, so the same volume costs differently in Dublin, Frankfurt, Sydney or Tokyo
  • Flex pricing bills per TB scanned rather than per GB ingested, so query activity drives the bill
  • Feature activation is subject to minimum volume, minimum user counts and service requirements confirmed at the time of the transaction
  • The API is limited to four calls per section, ten concurrent in-flight requests, and query processing times out after two minutes
  • Self-serve credit card purchase is capped at $25,000; larger purchases must go through sales or a reseller

Pricing, plan by plan

AppDynamics

$6/month
  • Infrastructure Edition$6/month
    • Infrastructure monitoring
  • Premium Edition$33/month
    • Infrastructure monitoring
    • Applications
    • APM
  • Enterprise Edition$50/month
    • Premium Edition features
    • Business Analytics

Sumo Logic

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Metrics collection
    • Real-time analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose AppDynamics if

  • You need application performance monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want distributed tracing.
AppDynamics review

Choose Sumo Logic if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Sumo Logic review

Questions people ask

Is AppDynamics or Sumo Logic better?
Neither clearly leads. AppDynamics starts at $6/month and Sumo Logic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AppDynamics or Sumo Logic?
Sumo Logic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $6/month for AppDynamics and Free for Sumo Logic.
Does AppDynamics or Sumo Logic run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Sumo Logic for free?
Yes. Sumo Logic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. AppDynamics starts at $6/month.
What is AppDynamics best used for?
AppDynamics is most often used for application performance monitoring for java, .net and other enterprise application stacks, business transaction tracing across distributed application tiers, infrastructure monitoring priced per vcpu. Of those, application performance monitoring for java, .net and other enterprise application stacks and business transaction tracing across distributed application tiers are not what Sumo Logic is typically brought in for.
What can AppDynamics do that Sumo Logic cannot?
AppDynamics covers Application performance monitoring, Distributed tracing, Alert management. Sumo Logic covers Log aggregation, Metrics collection, Custom dashboards. Both handle Real-time analytics, API, Webhooks, REST.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AppDynamics: How is AppDynamics priced?

AppDynamics uses a subscription model based on vCPU usage, billed annually. Infrastructure Edition starts at $6 per vCPU/month, Premium Edition at $33 per vCPU/month, and Enterprise Edition at $50 per vCPU/month. Additional capabilities like Secure Application, Real User Monitoring, and Synthetics have separate per-unit pricing.

Source
Sumo Logic: How much does Sumo Logic cost?

Sumo Logic does not publish specific pricing on its pricing page. Essentials plan is available via self-serve credit card for up to $25,000, with Enterprise Suite requiring sales contact for quotes.

Source
AppDynamics: What add-on costs does AppDynamics charge?

Secure Application costs $13.75 per CPU core per month (billed annually). Real User Monitoring is $0.06 per 1000 tokens per month. Browser Synthetics costs $12 per test location per month. SAP Solutions monitoring is $95 per CPU core per month.

Source
Sumo Logic: How is Sumo Logic priced?

Sumo Logic uses a credit-based pricing model. Logs are measured by GB scanned during queries, metrics by Data Points per Minute, and traces up to 5GB per day on Essentials.

Source
Sumo Logic: Is there a free trial?

Yes, Sumo Logic offers a 30-day free trial for the Essentials plan, which is available via self-serve credit card signup.

Source
Sumo Logic: What are the data retention limits?

The Essentials plan supports up to 365 days of log retention, 300 log monitors, 500 metric monitors, and 5GB per day trace storage.

Source
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