Software · head to head
Elastic APM vs Grafana Loki
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Elastic APM pricing is not published on the product page; cost follows the underlying Elastic deployment rather than being quoted per host or per service; Grafana Loki grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
- They diverge on capability: Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Elastic APM and Grafana Loki actually diverge.
| Attribute | Elastic APM | Grafana Loki |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, Api | Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support) |
| Founded | 2011 | 2014 |
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 Elastic APM
- Performance monitoring
- Error tracking
- Transaction tracing
- Custom metrics
Only in Grafana Loki
- Log aggregation
- Label-based indexing
- LogQL language
- Cost-effective
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.
Elastic APM
- Distributed tracing across microservicesnot Grafana Loki
- Auto-instrumenting Java, .NET, Python, Go, Node.js, Ruby, PHP and C++ servicesnot Grafana Loki
- OpenTelemetry-native collection through the Elastic distributionsnot Grafana Loki
- Correlating latency and errors with machine learningnot Grafana Loki
- Monitoring LLM calls alongside application tracesnot Grafana Loki
Grafana Loki
- Cost-sensitive organisations deploying Kubernetes and Prometheus ecosystemsnot Elastic APM
- Teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environmentsnot Elastic APM
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Elastic APM
- Pricing is not published on the product page; cost follows the underlying Elastic deployment rather than being quoted per host or per service
- Self-managed deployment means running and scaling Elasticsearch yourself
- Serverless does not carry every capability the hosted option does
Grafana Loki
- Grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
- Open-source version requires self-hosting all infrastructure including storage and scaling
Pricing, plan by plan
Elastic APM
Free- FreeFree
- Performance monitoring
- Error tracking
- Transaction tracing
Grafana Loki
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Grafana Loki review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Elastic APM if
- You need performance monitoring.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want error tracking.
Choose Grafana Loki if
- You need log aggregation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
- You also want label-based indexing.
Questions people ask
- Is Elastic APM or Grafana Loki better?
- Neither clearly leads. Elastic APM starts at Free and Grafana Loki at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Elastic APM or Grafana Loki?
- Elastic APM starts at Free and Grafana Loki at Free.
- Does Elastic APM or Grafana Loki run on more platforms?
- Elastic APM runs on Web, Api. Grafana Loki runs on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
- Can I use Elastic APM for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Elastic APM best used for?
- Elastic APM is most often used for distributed tracing across microservices, auto-instrumenting java, .net, python, go, node.js, ruby, php and c++ services, opentelemetry-native collection through the elastic distributions, correlating latency and errors with machine learning. Of those, distributed tracing across microservices and auto-instrumenting java, .net, python, go, node.js, ruby, php and c++ services are not what Grafana Loki is typically brought in for.
- What can Elastic APM do that Grafana Loki cannot?
- Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Error tracking, Transaction tracing, Custom metrics. Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, LogQL language, Cost-effective. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
Related pages
More on Elastic APM
More on Grafana Loki
Keep looking
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