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Log Management · head to head

Azure Monitor vs Graylog Plus

Azure Monitor logo

Azure Monitor

Log Management

Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Graylog Plus logo

Graylog Plus

Log Management

Enterprise Log Aggregation and SIEM

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Graylog Plus pricing is not published on the product pages
  • They diverge on capability: Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure Monitor and Graylog Plus actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure Monitor and Graylog Plus differ
AttributeAzure MonitorGraylog Plus
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20102011

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

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

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.

Azure Monitor

  • Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Graylog Plus
  • Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Graylog Plus
  • Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Graylog Plus
  • Long-term log retention for compliancenot Graylog Plus
  • Querying operational data with KQLnot Graylog Plus

Graylog Plus

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

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

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

Azure Monitor

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Metrics collection
    • Alerts and notifications

Graylog Plus

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

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.
Azure Monitor 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 Azure Monitor or Graylog Plus better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure Monitor 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, Azure Monitor or Graylog Plus?
Azure Monitor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Azure Monitor and On request for Graylog Plus.
Does Azure Monitor 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 Azure Monitor for free?
Yes. Azure Monitor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Graylog Plus 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 Graylog Plus is typically brought in for.
What can Azure Monitor do that Graylog Plus cannot?
Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation, SIEM capabilities, Advanced parsing, Compliance. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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