Log Management · head to head
Bugsnag vs Stackdriver
Stackdriver
Log Management
Google Cloud Operations - Monitoring and Logging
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Bugsnag owned by SmartBear rather than being independent; Stackdriver stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- They diverge on capability: Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Stackdriver covers Log management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Bugsnag and Stackdriver actually diverge.
| Attribute | Bugsnag | Stackdriver |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | 2006 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), 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 Stackdriver
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
- Error reporting
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 Stackdriver
- Stability scores per releasenot Stackdriver
- Grouping errors by root cause across deploysnot Stackdriver
- Alerting when a release regressesnot Stackdriver
Stackdriver
- Centralised logging, metrics and traces for workloads running on Google Cloudnot Bugsnag
- Alerting and uptime checks on cloud servicesnot Bugsnag
- Running managed Prometheus-compatible monitoring at scalenot 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
Stackdriver
- Stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- Cloud Logging charges $0.50 per GiB ingested, with only the first 50 GiB per project per month free
- Logs kept beyond 30 days cost an extra $0.01 per GiB per month on top of the ingestion charge
- Monitoring metric ingestion starts at $0.2580 per MiB, with only the first 150 MiB per billing account free
- Alerting policies are billed at $0.35 per month for each metric reference in the policy
- Uptime checks cost $0.30 per 1,000 executions and synthetic monitors $1.20 per 1,000 executions, with only 100 synthetic executions per billing account free
- Monitoring read API calls cost $0.50 per million time series returned beyond the first million per billing account
- Log volume is measured before indexing on the actual size of log entries, so verbose logging directly drives cost
Pricing, plan by plan
Bugsnag
Free- FreeFree
- Error tracking
- Crash reporting
- Release tracking
Stackdriver
Free- FreeFree
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
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.
Choose Stackdriver if
- You need log management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want metrics collection.
Questions people ask
- Is Bugsnag or Stackdriver better?
- Neither clearly leads. Bugsnag starts at Free and Stackdriver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Bugsnag or Stackdriver?
- Bugsnag starts at Free and Stackdriver at Free.
- Does Bugsnag or Stackdriver 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 Stackdriver is typically brought in for.
- What can Bugsnag do that Stackdriver cannot?
- Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Crash reporting, Release tracking, Trend analysis. Stackdriver covers Log management, Metrics collection, Real-time monitoring, Error reporting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.