Software · head to head
CloudWatch vs Azure Monitor
The short version
- Each has a real cost: CloudWatch the free tier covers 5 GB of log ingestion and 10 custom metrics a month, after which log ingestion is $0.50 per GB from 5 to 30 GB; 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
- They diverge on capability: CloudWatch covers Log aggregation, Azure Monitor covers Log collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CloudWatch and Azure Monitor actually diverge.
| Attribute | CloudWatch | Azure Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 | 2010 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 CloudWatch
- Log aggregation
- Dashboards
- Alarms and notifications
Only in Azure Monitor
- Log collection
- Alerts and notifications
- Custom dashboards
Both cover
- Metrics collection
- API
- Webhooks
- REST
- Web support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CloudWatch
- Metrics and log collection for AWS workloadsnot Azure Monitor
- Alarming on thresholds across AWS servicesnot Azure Monitor
- Querying logs with Logs Insightsnot Azure Monitor
- Live tailing logs during an incidentnot Azure Monitor
- Distributed tracing alongside X-Raynot Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
- Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot CloudWatch
- Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot CloudWatch
- Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot CloudWatch
- Long-term log retention for compliancenot CloudWatch
- Querying operational data with KQLnot CloudWatch
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CloudWatch
- The free tier covers 5 GB of log ingestion and 10 custom metrics a month, after which log ingestion is $0.50 per GB from 5 to 30 GB
- Custom metrics are $0.30 each for the first 10,000, so instrumenting broadly gets expensive before volume discounts apply
- Each custom dashboard beyond the free three is $3 a month
- Alarms are billed at $0.10 per alarm metric a month, with high-resolution alarms costing more
- Log storage beyond the free 5 GB is $0.03 per GB per month on top of the ingestion charge
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
Pricing, plan by plan
CloudWatch
Free- FreeFree
- Metrics collection
- Log aggregation
- Dashboards
Azure Monitor
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
Which should you pick?
Choose CloudWatch if
- You need log aggregation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want dashboards.
Choose Azure Monitor if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want alerts and notifications.
Questions people ask
- Is CloudWatch or Azure Monitor better?
- Neither clearly leads. CloudWatch starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CloudWatch or Azure Monitor?
- CloudWatch starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free.
- Does CloudWatch or Azure Monitor run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use CloudWatch for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is CloudWatch best used for?
- CloudWatch is most often used for metrics and log collection for aws workloads, alarming on thresholds across aws services, querying logs with logs insights, live tailing logs during an incident. Of those, metrics and log collection for aws workloads and alarming on thresholds across aws services are not what Azure Monitor is typically brought in for.
- What can CloudWatch do that Azure Monitor cannot?
- CloudWatch covers Log aggregation, Dashboards, Alarms and notifications. Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Both handle Metrics collection, API, Webhooks, REST.