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Logging · head to head

Azure Monitor vs Splunk Cloud

Azure Monitor logo

Azure Monitor

Logging

Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splunk Cloud logo

Splunk Cloud

Logging

Cloud-Based Log Management and Analytics

From
$675/year
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; Splunk Cloud significantly higher pricing than competitors like Datadog and Elastic
  • They diverge on capability: Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Splunk Cloud covers Log aggregation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure Monitor and Splunk Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure Monitor and Splunk Cloud differ
AttributeAzure MonitorSplunk Cloud
Starting priceFree$675/year
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded20102003

Identical on both: 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 Azure Monitor

  • Log collection
  • Metrics collection
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Custom dashboards

Only in Splunk Cloud

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time analytics
  • Machine learning
  • Advanced dashboards
  • Compliance tools
  • Cloud scalability

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 Splunk Cloud
  • Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Splunk Cloud
  • Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Splunk Cloud
  • Long-term log retention for compliancenot Splunk Cloud
  • Querying operational data with KQLnot Splunk Cloud

Splunk Cloud

  • Log monitoringnot Azure Monitor
  • Application performancenot Azure Monitor
  • Security analyticsnot Azure Monitor
  • Troubleshootingnot 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

Splunk Cloud

  • Significantly higher pricing than competitors like Datadog and Elastic
  • Per-GB ingest costs of $150+/day make budget forecasting difficult
  • Extended retention adds substantial additional costs
  • Enterprise Security add-on costs $25-45/GB/day on top of base pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

Azure Monitor

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

Splunk Cloud

$675/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Splunk Cloud 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.
Azure Monitor review

Choose Splunk Cloud if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You also want real-time analytics.
Splunk Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Azure Monitor or Splunk Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure Monitor starts at Free and Splunk Cloud at $675/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Azure Monitor or Splunk Cloud?
Azure Monitor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Azure Monitor and $675/year for Splunk Cloud.
Does Azure Monitor or Splunk Cloud run on more platforms?
Azure Monitor runs on Web, Api. Splunk Cloud runs on Web.
Can I use Azure Monitor for free?
Yes. Azure Monitor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Splunk Cloud starts at $675/year.
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 Splunk Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Azure Monitor do that Splunk Cloud cannot?
Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Splunk Cloud covers Log aggregation, Real-time analytics, Machine learning, Advanced dashboards. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Azure Monitor: How does Azure Monitor billing work?

Billing is based on data volume ingested into Azure Monitor. Additional charges apply separately for alerts, notifications, web tests, and data export. Activity log and platform metrics are automatically collected with an Azure subscription.

Source
Splunk Cloud: How is Splunk Cloud priced?

Splunk Cloud uses two pricing models: legacy per-GB ingest at $150+/GB/day or newer workload pricing ranging from $3,000 to $400,000/month depending on pack size. Simpler deployments offer ingest pricing with 5GB/day at $675/year.

Source
Azure Monitor: What savings are available with Azure Monitor?

Capacity reservations offer up to 36% savings compared to standard pay-as-you-go pricing when you commit to reserved capacity upfront.

Source
Splunk Cloud: What is included with Splunk Cloud storage?

Storage is included for a default retention period, typically 90 days for hot/warm data, with extended retention costing extra.

Source
Azure Monitor: Is there a free tier for Azure Monitor?

No dedicated free tier exists. Activity log and platform metrics are automatically collected with an Azure subscription, but detailed monitoring requires additional configuration and associated costs.

Source
Splunk Cloud: Is Splunk Cloud managed or do I need to manage infrastructure?

Splunk Cloud is a fully managed SaaS offering where Cisco (current owner) handles infrastructure, upgrades, and scaling.

Source
Splunk Cloud: What makes Splunk Cloud expensive compared to alternatives?

Splunk remains the highest-priced major log platform, but offers the most powerful query language (SPL) and the deepest enterprise security ecosystem.

Source
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