Software · head to head
Dynatrace Logs vs Fluent Bit
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Dynatrace Logs log ingest and processing is billed at $0.20 per GiB, separately from retention and from query; 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: Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, Fluent Bit covers Log collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Dynatrace Logs and Fluent Bit actually diverge.
| Attribute | Dynatrace Logs | Fluent Bit |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Founded | 2005 | 2015 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Dynatrace Logs
- Log analysis
- AI-powered insights
- Metrics integration
- Automated root cause
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.
Dynatrace Logs
- Ingesting and processing application and infrastructure logsnot Fluent Bit
- Querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platformnot Fluent Bit
- Log driven alerting within an existing Dynatrace deploymentnot Fluent Bit
Fluent Bit
- Lightweight log and metric forwarding from containers and edge devicesnot Dynatrace Logs
- Kubernetes node level log collection with a small memory footprintnot Dynatrace Logs
- Filtering and enriching telemetry before shipping it to a backendnot Dynatrace Logs
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Dynatrace Logs
- Log ingest and processing is billed at $0.20 per GiB, separately from retention and from query
- Querying logs is charged in addition to ingest, either pay per query or as bundled queries
- Log analytics requires the same annual platform commitment as the rest of the Dynatrace platform
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
Dynatrace Logs
Free- FreeFree
- Log analysis
- AI-powered insights
- Metrics integration
Fluent Bit
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Lightweight processing
- Data parsing
Which should you pick?
Choose Dynatrace Logs if
- You need log analysis.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want ai-powered insights.
Choose Fluent Bit if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want lightweight processing.
Questions people ask
- Is Dynatrace Logs or Fluent Bit better?
- Neither clearly leads. Dynatrace Logs starts at Free and Fluent Bit at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Dynatrace Logs or Fluent Bit?
- Dynatrace Logs starts at Free and Fluent Bit at Free.
- Does Dynatrace Logs or Fluent Bit run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Dynatrace Logs for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Dynatrace Logs best used for?
- Dynatrace Logs is most often used for ingesting and processing application and infrastructure logs, querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platform, log driven alerting within an existing dynatrace deployment. Of those, ingesting and processing application and infrastructure logs and querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platform are not what Fluent Bit is typically brought in for.
- What can Dynatrace Logs do that Fluent Bit cannot?
- Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, AI-powered insights, Metrics integration, Automated root cause. Fluent Bit covers Log collection, Lightweight processing, Data parsing, Event filtering. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.