Software · head to head
Azure Monitor vs Elastic
The short version
- Only Azure Monitor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Azure Monitor billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does; Elastic the 99.95% monthly uptime SLA is only offered on the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers of Hosted deployments, not on lower tiers, per elastic.co, August 2026
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Azure Monitor and Elastic actually diverge.
| Attribute | Azure Monitor | Elastic |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | usage-based | Unknown |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Api | Web |
| Founded | 2010 | Unknown |
Identical on both: 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 Azure Monitor
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
- Custom dashboards
- API
- Webhooks
- REST
- Web support
Only in Elastic
Nothing recorded that Azure Monitor does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Azure Monitor
- Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Elastic
- Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Elastic
- Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Elastic
- Long-term log retention for compliancenot Elastic
- Querying operational data with KQLnot Elastic
Elastic
No use cases recorded yet. See the Elastic review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Azure Monitor
- Billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
- Only the first 5 GB a month of Analytics logs is free per billing account
- Retention beyond the base period is charged per GB per month, up to 2 years interactive and 12 years long term
- Log queries and search jobs are billed per GB scanned, so investigating an incident costs money
- Alert rules are billed per time series for metrics and by execution frequency for logs
- The pricing page shows placeholders rather than rates until a region and currency are chosen
Elastic
- The 99.95% monthly uptime SLA is only offered on the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers of Hosted deployments, not on lower tiers, per elastic.co, August 2026
Pricing, plan by plan
Azure Monitor
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
Elastic
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Elastic review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Azure Monitor if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want metrics collection.
Choose Elastic if
Nothing in the data separates Elastic from Azure Monitor on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Azure Monitor or Elastic better?
- Neither clearly leads. Azure Monitor 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, Azure Monitor or Elastic?
- Azure Monitor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Azure Monitor and On request for Elastic.
- Does Azure Monitor or Elastic run on more platforms?
- Azure Monitor runs on Web, Api. Elastic runs on Web.
- Can I use Azure Monitor for free?
- Yes. Azure Monitor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Elastic starts at On request.
- What is Azure Monitor best used for?
- Azure Monitor is most often used for collecting logs and metrics from azure resources, alerting on metric thresholds and log queries, application performance monitoring through application insights, long-term log retention for compliance. Of those, collecting logs and metrics from azure resources and alerting on metric thresholds and log queries are not what Elastic is typically brought in for.
- What can Azure Monitor do that Elastic cannot?
- Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards.