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Dynatrace Logs vs Prometheus

Dynatrace Logs logo

Dynatrace Logs

Software

Intelligent Log Analytics and Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Software

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dynatrace Logs and Prometheus actually diverge.

Attributes where Dynatrace Logs and Prometheus differ
AttributeDynatrace LogsPrometheus
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
PlatformsWeb, ApiLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded20052015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Prometheus

  • Multi-dimensional Data Model
  • PromQL Query Language
  • Pull-based Collection
  • Service Discovery
  • Alerting Rules
  • Federation
  • Local Storage
  • Grafana

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 Prometheus
  • Querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platformnot Prometheus
  • Log driven alerting within an existing Dynatrace deploymentnot Prometheus

Prometheus

  • Cloud-native monitoring and alertingnot Dynatrace Logs
  • Time-series metrics collectionnot Dynatrace Logs
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot 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

Prometheus

  • Not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • Hard limit on scrape body size; large responses cause scrape failure
  • Per-scrape sample limit enforced; exceeding limit marks targets as failed
  • Not designed for long-term durable storage; optimised for metrics collection

Pricing, plan by plan

Dynatrace Logs

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log analysis
    • AI-powered insights
    • Metrics integration

Prometheus

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prometheus review.

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.
Dynatrace Logs review

Choose Prometheus if

  • You need multi-dimensional data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want promql query language.
Prometheus review

Questions people ask

Is Dynatrace Logs or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. Dynatrace Logs starts at Free and Prometheus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dynatrace Logs or Prometheus?
Dynatrace Logs starts at Free and Prometheus at Free.
Does Dynatrace Logs or Prometheus run on more platforms?
Dynatrace Logs runs on Web, Api. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
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 Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can Dynatrace Logs do that Prometheus cannot?
Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, AI-powered insights, Metrics integration, Automated root cause. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery.
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