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Log Management · head to head

Datadog Logs vs Fluent Bit

Datadog Logs logo

Datadog Logs

Log Management

Log Management and Analytics

From
$0.1/per GB ingested per month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fluent Bit logo

Fluent Bit

Log Management

Fast and Lightweight Log Processor

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fluent Bit has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Datadog Logs complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale; Fluent Bit fluent Bit ships over 100 built in plugins against more than 1,000 external plugins available for Fluentd, so fewer integrations exist out of the box
  • They diverge on capability: Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Fluent Bit covers Log collection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Datadog Logs and Fluent Bit actually diverge.

Attributes where Datadog Logs and Fluent Bit differ
AttributeDatadog LogsFluent Bit
Starting price$0.1/per GB ingested per monthFree
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)Web, Api
Founded20102015

Identical on both: 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 Datadog Logs

  • Log ingestion
  • Full-text search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Log-based metrics

Only in Fluent Bit

  • Log collection
  • Lightweight processing
  • Data parsing
  • Event filtering

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.

Datadog Logs

  • Centralised log aggregation and analysisnot Fluent Bit
  • Multi-source log correlation with metrics and tracesnot Fluent Bit
  • Root cause analysis and troubleshootingnot Fluent Bit
  • Security monitoring and threat detectionnot Fluent Bit

Fluent Bit

  • Lightweight log and metric forwarding from containers and edge devicesnot Datadog Logs
  • Kubernetes node level log collection with a small memory footprintnot Datadog Logs
  • Filtering and enriching telemetry before shipping it to a backendnot Datadog Logs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Datadog Logs

  • Complex, multi-tiered pricing model based on ingestion, indexing, and storage; can become expensive at scale
  • Ingestion pricing of $0.10/GB can accumulate rapidly for high-volume logging environments

Fluent Bit

  • Fluent Bit ships over 100 built in plugins against more than 1,000 external plugins available for Fluentd, so fewer integrations exist out of the box
  • It is written in C, so extending it beyond the built in plugins means writing C rather than Ruby
  • Dependencies are zero only until a plugin requires one

Pricing, plan by plan

Datadog Logs

$0.1/per GB ingested per month

No published plan breakdown. See the Datadog Logs review.

Fluent Bit

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Lightweight processing
    • Data parsing

Which should you pick?

Choose Datadog Logs if

  • You need log ingestion.
  • You work on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud).
  • You also want full-text search.
Datadog Logs review

Choose Fluent Bit if

  • You need log collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want lightweight processing.
Fluent Bit review

Questions people ask

Is Datadog Logs or Fluent Bit better?
Neither clearly leads. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month and Fluent Bit at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datadog Logs or Fluent Bit?
Fluent Bit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.1/per GB ingested per month for Datadog Logs and Free for Fluent Bit.
Does Datadog Logs or Fluent Bit run on more platforms?
Datadog Logs runs on Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud). Fluent Bit runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Fluent Bit for free?
Yes. Fluent Bit has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Datadog Logs starts at $0.1/per GB ingested per month.
What is Datadog Logs best used for?
Datadog Logs is most often used for centralised log aggregation and analysis, multi-source log correlation with metrics and traces, root cause analysis and troubleshooting, security monitoring and threat detection. Of those, centralised log aggregation and analysis and multi-source log correlation with metrics and traces are not what Fluent Bit is typically brought in for.
What can Datadog Logs do that Fluent Bit cannot?
Datadog Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Custom dashboards, Log-based metrics. Fluent Bit covers Log collection, Lightweight processing, Data parsing, Event filtering. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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