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Cloud · head to head

Azure Functions vs Splunk

Azure Functions logo

Azure Functions

Cloud

Event-driven serverless compute on Azure

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splunk logo

Splunk

Networking

Turn Data Into Doing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Azure Functions has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Azure Functions consumption plan free grant is capped at 1 million executions and 400,000 GB-seconds of resource consumption per month per subscription, billed per GB-second beyond that; Splunk no prices are published on any plan; every model requires contacting sales for an estimate

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure Functions and Splunk actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure Functions and Splunk differ
AttributeAzure FunctionsSplunk
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Api
CategoryCloudNetworking
FoundedUnknown2003

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

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 Azure Functions

Nothing recorded that Splunk does not also cover.

Only in Splunk

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

What people use each for

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

Azure Functions

  • Event-driven computingnot Splunk
  • Serverless application backendnot Splunk
  • Scalable API endpointsnot Splunk

Splunk

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

Where each one falls short

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

Azure Functions

  • Consumption plan free grant is capped at 1 million executions and 400,000 GB-seconds of resource consumption per month per subscription, billed per GB-second beyond that
  • The newer Flex Consumption plan's free grant is smaller still, at 250,000 executions and 100,000 GB-seconds per month
  • Premium plan avoids per-execution charges but bills continuously for allocated core seconds and memory regardless of invocation volume
  • Memory is rounded up to the nearest 128 MB and execution time to the nearest 1 ms for billing, so small overages round upward

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

Azure Functions

Free
  • Consumption Plan$null/month
    • 1 million requests free monthly
    • 400,000 GB-seconds free monthly
    • Billed per second and executions
  • Flex Consumption Plan$null/month
    • 250,000 executions free monthly
    • 100,000 GB-seconds free monthly
    • Event-driven scaling
  • Premium Plan$null/month
    • No execution charges
    • At least one instance required
    • Includes automatic scaling and VNET access

Splunk

On request
  • Observability Cloud - Infrastructure$15/month
    • Infrastructure monitoring for per host/month pricing
    • Unlimited users and ability to scale to petabytes of data
  • Observability Cloud - App & Infra$60/month
    • App and infrastructure monitoring for per host/month pricing billed annually
  • Observability Cloud - End-to-End$75/month
    • End-to-end observability for per host/month pricing billed annually
  • On-Call$5/month
    • On-call management for per user per month pricing billed annually
    • Covers up to 10 seats

Which should you pick?

Choose Azure Functions if

  • You want to start without paying.
Azure Functions review

Choose Splunk if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time monitoring.
Splunk review

Questions people ask

Is Azure Functions or Splunk better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure Functions starts at Free and Splunk at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Azure Functions or Splunk?
Azure Functions has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Azure Functions and On request for Splunk.
Does Azure Functions or Splunk run on more platforms?
Azure Functions runs on Web. Splunk runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Azure Functions for free?
Yes. Azure Functions has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Splunk starts at On request.
What is Azure Functions best used for?
Azure Functions is most often used for event-driven computing, serverless application backend, scalable api endpoints. Of those, event-driven computing and serverless application backend are not what Splunk is typically brought in for.
What can Azure Functions do that Splunk cannot?
Splunk covers Log aggregation, Real-time monitoring, Data visualization, Full-text search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Azure Functions: Does Azure Functions have a free tier?

Yes, Azure Functions includes a monthly free grant of 1 million requests and 400,000 GB-seconds on the Consumption Plan, or 250,000 executions and 100,000 GB-seconds on Flex Consumption.

Source
Splunk: What is Splunk's pricing model?

Splunk offers activity-based, ingest, or workload pricing options depending on the product. Splunk Observability Cloud and AppDynamics use per-host or per-vCPU monthly pricing billed annually. Splunk Cloud Platform and Splunk Enterprise require custom quotes from sales.

Source
Azure Functions: What is Azure Functions' pricing model?

Azure Functions uses usage-based pricing. Consumption plans charge per second of resource consumption and per execution, measured in gigabyte-seconds and rounded to the nearest 128 MB.

Source
Splunk: How much does Splunk Enterprise cost?

Splunk Enterprise pricing requires contact with sales. The vendor offers data-ingest or workload pricing options, supports unlimited users, and can scale to petabytes of data, but specific rates are not published online.

Source
Azure Functions: What is the minimum execution time for Azure Functions?

The minimum execution time is 100 milliseconds on Consumption plans. Premium plans charge based on core seconds and allocated memory.

Source
Splunk: What are the differences between Splunk's pricing options?

Splunk offers multiple pricing models: ingest-based pricing charges according to data volume brought into the system; workload-based pricing charges based on computing resources consumed by workloads. Both models apply to Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform. Standard support is included with product purchases; premium support is available as an add-on.

Source
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