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Logging · head to head

Better Stack vs New Relic Logs

Better Stack logo

Better Stack

Logging

AI-native observability and incident response platform.

From
Free
Rated
-
New Relic Logs logo

New Relic Logs

Logging

Log Management and Analysis

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Better Stack pricing model combines multiple separate line items (bundles, incident management, monitoring, status pages), making total cost unpredictable until all services are selected; New Relic Logs log data counts against the same 100 GB monthly free ingest allowance shared with every other telemetry type, so logs compete with metrics and traces for it
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Better Stack and New Relic Logs actually diverge.

Attributes where Better Stack and New Relic Logs differ
AttributeBetter StackNew Relic Logs
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, API, Self-hostedWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 Better Stack

Nothing recorded that New Relic Logs does not also cover.

Only in New Relic Logs

  • Log ingestion
  • Full-text search
  • Logs-in-context
  • Custom dashboards
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Better Stack

  • Cost-conscious teams looking to replace Datadog loggingnot New Relic Logs
  • Companies requiring integrated uptime monitoring and incident managementnot New Relic Logs
  • Teams adopting AI-assisted incident response and root cause analysisnot New Relic Logs
  • Organisations needing real-time user monitoring with session replaynot New Relic Logs
  • Infrastructure teams using eBPF-based distributed tracingnot New Relic Logs

New Relic Logs

  • Centralised log management alongside metrics and tracesnot Better Stack
  • Searching and alerting on application logs in context with performance datanot Better Stack

Where each one falls short

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

Better Stack

  • Pricing model combines multiple separate line items (bundles, incident management, monitoring, status pages), making total cost unpredictable until all services are selected
  • Transactional monitoring (Playwright-based) billed separately at $1 per 100 minutes
  • On-call and reporting features require additional per-user fees on top of base telemetry bundle
  • Agentic AI SRE features billed at $5 per million tokens, creating variable costs for AI-driven analysis
  • SSO and advanced security features reserved for Enterprise tier with custom pricing

New Relic Logs

  • Log data counts against the same 100 GB monthly free ingest allowance shared with every other telemetry type, so logs compete with metrics and traces for it
  • Ingest beyond that is $0.40 per GB, rising to $0.60 per GB on the Data Plus option
  • Full platform users cost $349 each a month on Pro with an annual commitment, or $418.80 paying monthly
  • The Standard edition caps additional full platform users at 5
  • Core users are $49 a month each even though basic users are free

Pricing, plan by plan

Better Stack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 monitors and heartbeats
    • 1 status page
    • Limited log, trace, metric and web event allocations
  • Nano$25/month
    • Core telemetry bundle
    • Log management
    • Trace management
  • Micro$100/month
    • Higher telemetry limits than Nano
    • All Nano features
  • Mega$500/month
    • Premium telemetry allocation
    • All lower-tier features

New Relic Logs

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 100 GB per month data ingest
    • Unlimited basic users
    • 1 full platform user
  • Standard Edition$49/month
    • Up to 5 full platform users
    • Core users 49 dollars per user per month
    • Additional full platform users at 99 dollars each
  • Pro Edition$349/year
    • Unlimited full platform users
    • Core users at 49 dollars per user per month
    • Full platform users at 349 dollars per user annually or 418.80 dollars monthly
  • Enterprise Edition$null/mo
    • Unlimited full platform users
    • Custom pricing
    • FedRAMP and HIPAA support

Which should you pick?

Choose Better Stack if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API, Self-hosted.

Choose New Relic Logs if

  • You need log ingestion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want full-text search.

Questions people ask

Is Better Stack or New Relic Logs better?
Neither clearly leads. Better Stack starts at Free and New Relic Logs at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Better Stack or New Relic Logs?
Better Stack starts at Free and New Relic Logs at Free.
Does Better Stack or New Relic Logs run on more platforms?
Better Stack runs on Web, iOS, Android, API, Self-hosted. New Relic Logs runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Better Stack for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Better Stack best used for?
Better Stack is most often used for cost-conscious teams looking to replace datadog logging, companies requiring integrated uptime monitoring and incident management, teams adopting ai-assisted incident response and root cause analysis, organisations needing real-time user monitoring with session replay. Of those, cost-conscious teams looking to replace datadog logging and companies requiring integrated uptime monitoring and incident management are not what New Relic Logs is typically brought in for.
What can Better Stack do that New Relic Logs cannot?
New Relic Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Logs-in-context, Custom dashboards.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Better Stack: How much cheaper is Better Stack than Datadog?

Better Stack claims to be 30 times cheaper than Datadog, with pricing structured to allow customers to ingest up to 80 times more data for the same budget compared to Datadog.

Source
New Relic Logs: Is New Relic free?

New Relic offers a free tier with 100 GB per month of data ingest, 1 full platform user, and unlimited basic users.

Source
Better Stack: What mobile platforms does Better Stack support?

Better Stack offers native mobile apps for both iOS and Android.

Source
New Relic Logs: What does New Relic charge for data beyond the free tier?

New Relic charges 0.40 dollars per gigabyte for data beyond the 100 GB free monthly allowance. Data Plus tier costs 0.60 dollars per GB and includes up to 90-day extended retention.

Source
Better Stack: Does Better Stack support Sentry SDKs?

Yes. Better Stack's error tracking is compatible with Sentry SDKs for seamless integration.

Source
New Relic Logs: What is the Pro plan pricing?

The Pro Edition costs 349 dollars per user per year for full platform users, or 418.80 dollars per month. Unlimited full platform users are included.

Source
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