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Log Management · head to head

Bugsnag vs Papertrail

Bugsnag logo

Bugsnag

Log Management

Application Stability Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Log Management

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bugsnag owned by SmartBear rather than being independent; Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month
  • They diverge on capability: Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Papertrail covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bugsnag and Papertrail actually diverge.

Attributes where Bugsnag and Papertrail differ
AttributeBugsnagPapertrail
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Founded20122011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Bugsnag

  • Error tracking
  • Crash reporting
  • Release tracking
  • Trend analysis

Only in Papertrail

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time tail
  • Saved searches
  • System alerts

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.

Bugsnag

  • Crash and error reporting for mobile and web applicationsnot Papertrail
  • Stability scores per releasenot Papertrail
  • Grouping errors by root cause across deploysnot Papertrail
  • Alerting when a release regressesnot Papertrail

Papertrail

  • Aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable streamnot Bugsnag
  • Tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidentsnot Bugsnag
  • Long-term log archiving to Amazon S3 for later analysisnot Bugsnag

Where each one falls short

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

Bugsnag

  • Owned by SmartBear rather than being independent
  • The free tier covers 7,500 events a month
  • Paid tiers are usage-priced by event volume rather than by seat, so a noisy release raises the bill
  • Enterprise pricing is quote-only

Papertrail

  • Log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month
  • Usage beyond the plan volume is billed at a 30% higher price per GB and is capped at 200% extra
  • Transferred volume is measured as message length plus 50 bytes of metadata per message, so metadata counts against the quota

Pricing, plan by plan

Bugsnag

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Error tracking
    • Crash reporting
    • Release tracking

Papertrail

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time tail
    • Saved searches

Which should you pick?

Choose Bugsnag if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want crash reporting.
Bugsnag review

Choose Papertrail if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time tail.
Papertrail review

Questions people ask

Is Bugsnag or Papertrail better?
Neither clearly leads. Bugsnag starts at Free and Papertrail at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bugsnag or Papertrail?
Bugsnag starts at Free and Papertrail at Free.
Does Bugsnag or Papertrail run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Bugsnag for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bugsnag best used for?
Bugsnag is most often used for crash and error reporting for mobile and web applications, stability scores per release, grouping errors by root cause across deploys, alerting when a release regresses. Of those, crash and error reporting for mobile and web applications and stability scores per release are not what Papertrail is typically brought in for.
What can Bugsnag do that Papertrail cannot?
Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Crash reporting, Release tracking, Trend analysis. Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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