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Logging · head to head

CloudWatch vs Elastic

CloudWatch logo

CloudWatch

Logging

AWS Monitoring and Observability

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Elastic logo

Elastic

Logging

Search AI powered by Elasticsearch

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CloudWatch has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Elastic no specific pricing amounts published on pricing page; customer must contact sales or start trial
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CloudWatch and Elastic actually diverge.

Attributes where CloudWatch and Elastic differ
AttributeCloudWatchElastic
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded2006Unknown

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 CloudWatch

  • Metrics collection
  • Log aggregation
  • Dashboards
  • Alarms and notifications
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Elastic

Nothing recorded that CloudWatch does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

CloudWatch

  • Metrics and log collection for AWS workloadsnot Elastic
  • Alarming on thresholds across AWS servicesnot Elastic
  • Querying logs with Logs Insightsnot Elastic
  • Live tailing logs during an incidentnot Elastic
  • Distributed tracing alongside X-Raynot Elastic

Elastic

  • Building ecommerce search experiences with vector databases and AInot CloudWatch
  • Monitoring application performance and resolving infrastructure issues at scalenot CloudWatch
  • Investigating security incidents across distributed cloud infrastructurenot CloudWatch
  • Analyzing customer support logs to identify recurring issuesnot 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

Elastic

  • No specific pricing amounts published on pricing page; customer must contact sales or start trial
  • Three deployment models (Cloud Hosted, Cloud Serverless, Self-managed) have different pricing structures

Pricing, plan by plan

CloudWatch

Free
  • Pay-as-you-goFree
    • Logs ingestion: $0.50/GB (first 5GB free), down to $0.05/GB at scale
    • Logs storage: $0.03/GB/month
    • Live Tail: $0.01/minute after 1,800 free minutes
  • Free tierFree
    • 5GB logs ingestion per month
    • 10 custom metrics
    • 3 custom dashboards

Elastic

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic review.

Which should you pick?

Choose CloudWatch if

  • You need metrics collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want log aggregation.
CloudWatch review

Choose Elastic if

Nothing in the data separates Elastic from CloudWatch on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Elastic review

Questions people ask

Is CloudWatch or Elastic better?
Neither clearly leads. CloudWatch starts at Free and Elastic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CloudWatch or Elastic?
CloudWatch has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CloudWatch and On request for Elastic.
Does CloudWatch or Elastic run on more platforms?
CloudWatch runs on Web, Api. Elastic runs on Web.
Can I use CloudWatch for free?
Yes. CloudWatch has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Elastic starts at On request.
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 Elastic is typically brought in for.
What can CloudWatch do that Elastic cannot?
CloudWatch covers Metrics collection, Log aggregation, Dashboards, Alarms and notifications.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CloudWatch: How much does Amazon CloudWatch cost?

CloudWatch uses pay-as-you-go pricing with no upfront commitment. Logs ingestion costs $0.50/GB (first 5GB free), logs storage is $0.03/GB/month, custom metrics cost $0.30/metric/month (first 10,000), custom dashboards are $3/month, and standard alarms are $0.10/metric/month.

Source
Elastic: What are Elastic's deployment pricing options?

Elastic offers three deployment models: Elastic Cloud Hosted (resource-based, pay-as-you-go or prepaid monthly), Elastic Cloud Serverless (usage-based on search/indexing consumption, pay-as-you-go or prepaid), and Self-managed (license-based on nodes and RAM). Actual dollar amounts are not published and require contacting sales or starting a free trial.

Source
CloudWatch: Does CloudWatch offer a free tier?

Yes, CloudWatch free tier includes 5GB logs ingestion, 10 custom metrics, 3 custom dashboards, and 10 alarm metrics per month at no charge. Usage beyond these limits incurs pay-as-you-go fees.

Source
Elastic: Does Elastic Cloud Serverless have feature limitations?

Yes, Elastic Cloud Serverless deployments have 'Most solution and platform capabilities' with some upcoming features not yet available, including traffic filtering, cross-project search, and bring-your-own-key encryption.

Source
CloudWatch: What are CloudWatch's pricing tiers for high-volume usage?

CloudWatch offers tiered pricing with volume discounts: logs ingestion starts at $0.50/GB and decreases to $0.05/GB at higher volumes; custom metrics start at $0.30/metric/month and decline to $0.05 at higher volumes; Application Signals cost $1.50 per million traces initially, declining to $0.30.

Source
Elastic: How can you get Elastic pricing?

Elastic directs customers to start a free trial, contact sales for specific quotes, or visit dedicated pricing pages for individual products (Elasticsearch, Observability, Security).

Source
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