Log Management · head to head
Dynatrace Logs vs Stackdriver
Dynatrace Logs
Log Management
Intelligent Log Analytics and Management
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Stackdriver
Log Management
Google Cloud Operations - Monitoring and Logging
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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; Stackdriver stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- They diverge on capability: Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, Stackdriver covers Log management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Dynatrace Logs and Stackdriver actually diverge.
| Attribute | Dynatrace Logs | Stackdriver |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Founded | 2005 | 2006 |
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 Dynatrace Logs
- Log analysis
- AI-powered insights
- Metrics integration
- Automated root cause
Only in Stackdriver
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
- Error reporting
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 Stackdriver
- Querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platformnot Stackdriver
- Log driven alerting within an existing Dynatrace deploymentnot Stackdriver
Stackdriver
- Centralised logging, metrics and traces for workloads running on Google Cloudnot Dynatrace Logs
- Alerting and uptime checks on cloud servicesnot Dynatrace Logs
- Running managed Prometheus-compatible monitoring at scalenot 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
Stackdriver
- Stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- Cloud Logging charges $0.50 per GiB ingested, with only the first 50 GiB per project per month free
- Logs kept beyond 30 days cost an extra $0.01 per GiB per month on top of the ingestion charge
- Monitoring metric ingestion starts at $0.2580 per MiB, with only the first 150 MiB per billing account free
- Alerting policies are billed at $0.35 per month for each metric reference in the policy
- Uptime checks cost $0.30 per 1,000 executions and synthetic monitors $1.20 per 1,000 executions, with only 100 synthetic executions per billing account free
- Monitoring read API calls cost $0.50 per million time series returned beyond the first million per billing account
- Log volume is measured before indexing on the actual size of log entries, so verbose logging directly drives cost
Pricing, plan by plan
Dynatrace Logs
Free- FreeFree
- Log analysis
- AI-powered insights
- Metrics integration
Stackdriver
Free- FreeFree
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
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 Stackdriver if
- You need log management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want metrics collection.
Questions people ask
- Is Dynatrace Logs or Stackdriver better?
- Neither clearly leads. Dynatrace Logs starts at Free and Stackdriver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Dynatrace Logs or Stackdriver?
- Dynatrace Logs starts at Free and Stackdriver at Free.
- Does Dynatrace Logs or Stackdriver 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 Stackdriver is typically brought in for.
- What can Dynatrace Logs do that Stackdriver cannot?
- Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, AI-powered insights, Metrics integration, Automated root cause. Stackdriver covers Log management, Metrics collection, Real-time monitoring, Error reporting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.