Softwr

Log Management · head to head

CloudWatch vs Vector

CloudWatch logo

CloudWatch

Log Management

AWS Monitoring and Observability

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vector logo

Vector

Log Management

A Lightweight and Ultra-Fast Tool for Building Observability Pipelines

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Vector free and open source under the MPL-2.0 license, backed by an open source community with a public GitHub repo
  • They diverge on capability: CloudWatch covers Log aggregation, Vector covers Log collection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CloudWatch and Vector actually diverge.

Attributes where CloudWatch and Vector differ
AttributeCloudWatchVector
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
Founded20062019

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 CloudWatch

  • Log aggregation
  • Dashboards
  • Alarms and notifications

Only in Vector

  • Log collection
  • Trace collection
  • Event transformation

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 Vector
  • Alarming on thresholds across AWS servicesnot Vector
  • Querying logs with Logs Insightsnot Vector
  • Live tailing logs during an incidentnot Vector
  • Distributed tracing alongside X-Raynot Vector

Vector

  • Log monitoringnot CloudWatch
  • Application performancenot CloudWatch
  • Security analyticsnot CloudWatch
  • Troubleshootingnot 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

Vector

  • Free and open source under the MPL-2.0 license, backed by an open source community with a public GitHub repo

Pricing, plan by plan

CloudWatch

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Metrics collection
    • Log aggregation
    • Dashboards

Vector

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Metrics collection
    • Trace collection

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.
CloudWatch review

Choose Vector if

  • You need log collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want trace collection.
Vector review

Questions people ask

Is CloudWatch or Vector better?
Neither clearly leads. CloudWatch starts at Free and Vector at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CloudWatch or Vector?
CloudWatch starts at Free and Vector at Free.
Does CloudWatch or Vector 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 Vector is typically brought in for.
What can CloudWatch do that Vector cannot?
CloudWatch covers Log aggregation, Dashboards, Alarms and notifications. Vector covers Log collection, Trace collection, Event transformation. Both handle Metrics collection, API, Webhooks, REST.
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Related pages

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