Logging · head to head
CloudWatch vs Splunk Enterprise
Splunk Enterprise
Logging
Enterprise Search, Monitoring, and Analytics
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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; Splunk Enterprise splunk Platform and Enterprise Security offerings carry no published rate and require contacting sales for a quote
- They diverge on capability: CloudWatch covers Metrics collection, Splunk Enterprise covers Real-time monitoring.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CloudWatch and Splunk Enterprise actually diverge.
| Attribute | CloudWatch | Splunk Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2006 | 2003 |
Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), platforms (Web, Api), 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
- Dashboards
- Alarms and notifications
Only in Splunk Enterprise
- Real-time monitoring
- Advanced analytics
- Compliance
Both cover
- Log aggregation
- 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 Splunk Enterprise
- Alarming on thresholds across AWS servicesnot Splunk Enterprise
- Querying logs with Logs Insightsnot Splunk Enterprise
- Live tailing logs during an incidentnot Splunk Enterprise
- Distributed tracing alongside X-Raynot Splunk Enterprise
Splunk Enterprise
- Indexing and searching machine data and logs at enterprise scalenot CloudWatch
- Security information and event management via Enterprise Securitynot CloudWatch
- IT service intelligence and infrastructure observabilitynot 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
Splunk Enterprise
- Splunk Platform and Enterprise Security offerings carry no published rate and require contacting sales for a quote
- Four different pricing models are offered (activity, ingest, workload and entity based) and the applicable one depends on the product purchased
- Published Observability Cloud rates start at $15 per host per month and are billed annually rather than monthly
- Volume discounts are not published and require direct consultation with sales
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: $0.01/minute after 1,800 free minutes
- Free tierFree
- 5GB logs ingestion per month
- 10 custom metrics
- 3 custom dashboards
Splunk Enterprise
On request- Starter$undefined/month
- Log aggregation
- Real-time monitoring
- Advanced analytics
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 dashboards.
Choose Splunk Enterprise if
- You need real-time monitoring.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want advanced analytics.
Questions people ask
- Is CloudWatch or Splunk Enterprise better?
- Neither clearly leads. CloudWatch starts at Free and Splunk Enterprise at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CloudWatch or Splunk Enterprise?
- CloudWatch has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CloudWatch and On request for Splunk Enterprise.
- Does CloudWatch or Splunk Enterprise 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?
- Yes. CloudWatch has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Splunk Enterprise 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 Splunk Enterprise is typically brought in for.
- What can CloudWatch do that Splunk Enterprise cannot?
- CloudWatch covers Metrics collection, Dashboards, Alarms and notifications. Splunk Enterprise covers Real-time monitoring, Advanced analytics, Compliance. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.
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.
SourceSplunk Enterprise: How much does Splunk Enterprise cost?
Splunk Enterprise pricing is not published online. Customers can try it free for 60 days without a credit card, but to obtain pricing for ongoing use, they must contact Splunk sales directly.
SourceCloudWatch: 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.
SourceSplunk Enterprise: Does Splunk Enterprise offer a free trial?
Yes, Splunk Enterprise offers a 60-day free trial that does not require a credit card to begin.
SourceCloudWatch: 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.
SourceRelated pages
More on Splunk Enterprise
Other head to heads
- CloudWatch vs New Relic
- CloudWatch vs Elastic Stack
- CloudWatch vs Datadog Logs
- CloudWatch vs Coralogix
- CloudWatch vs Splunk Cloud
- CloudWatch vs Checkly
- CloudWatch vs InfluxDB
- CloudWatch vs Airbrake
- CloudWatch vs Fluent Bit
- CloudWatch vs Honeybadger
- CloudWatch vs Logz.io
- CloudWatch vs Uptime.com
- CloudWatch vs Vector
- CloudWatch vs Dynatrace
- CloudWatch vs AppDynamics
- CloudWatch vs Elastic APM
- CloudWatch vs Rootly
- CloudWatch vs Humio
- CloudWatch vs incident.io
- CloudWatch vs Traceloop
- CloudWatch vs ELK Stack
- Splunk Enterprise vs New Relic
- Splunk Enterprise vs Elastic Stack
- Splunk Enterprise vs Datadog Logs
- Splunk Enterprise vs Coralogix
- Splunk Enterprise vs Splunk Cloud
- Splunk Enterprise vs Checkly
- Splunk Enterprise vs InfluxDB
- Splunk Enterprise vs Airbrake
- Splunk Enterprise vs Fluent Bit
- Splunk Enterprise vs Honeybadger
- Splunk Enterprise vs Logz.io
- Splunk Enterprise vs Uptime.com
- Splunk Enterprise vs Vector
- Splunk Enterprise vs Dynatrace
- Splunk Enterprise vs AppDynamics
- Splunk Enterprise vs Elastic APM
- Splunk Enterprise vs Rootly
- Splunk Enterprise vs Humio
- Splunk Enterprise vs incident.io
- Splunk Enterprise vs Traceloop
- Splunk Enterprise vs ELK Stack