Software · head to head
Elastic APM vs Graylog Plus
The short version
- Only Elastic APM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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; Graylog Plus pricing is not published on the product pages
- They diverge on capability: Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Elastic APM and Graylog Plus actually diverge.
| Attribute | Elastic APM | Graylog Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | open-source | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2011).
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 Graylog Plus
- Log aggregation
- SIEM capabilities
- Advanced parsing
- Compliance
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 Graylog Plus
- Auto-instrumenting Java, .NET, Python, Go, Node.js, Ruby, PHP and C++ servicesnot Graylog Plus
- OpenTelemetry-native collection through the Elastic distributionsnot Graylog Plus
- Correlating latency and errors with machine learningnot Graylog Plus
- Monitoring LLM calls alongside application tracesnot Graylog Plus
Graylog Plus
- Centralised log collection, search and analysisnot Elastic APM
- SIEM and threat detection through Graylog Securitynot Elastic APM
- Self-hosting log management on your own infrastructurenot Elastic APM
- API security monitoringnot Elastic APM
- Compliance reporting from retained log datanot 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
Graylog Plus
- Pricing is not published on the product pages
- Split across several editions, Graylog Open, Enterprise, Security and API Security, so log management and SIEM are separate purchases
- The open edition is source-available rather than fully open source, and the guided setup, prebuilt content and AI assistance are Enterprise features
Pricing, plan by plan
Elastic APM
Free- FreeFree
- Performance monitoring
- Error tracking
- Transaction tracing
Graylog Plus
On request- Starter$undefined/month
- Log aggregation
- SIEM capabilities
- Advanced parsing
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 Graylog Plus if
- You need log aggregation.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want siem capabilities.
Questions people ask
- Is Elastic APM or Graylog Plus better?
- Neither clearly leads. Elastic APM starts at Free and Graylog Plus at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Elastic APM or Graylog Plus?
- Elastic APM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Elastic APM and On request for Graylog Plus.
- Does Elastic APM or Graylog Plus run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Elastic APM for free?
- Yes. Elastic APM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Graylog Plus starts at On request.
- 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 Graylog Plus is typically brought in for.
- What can Elastic APM do that Graylog Plus cannot?
- Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Error tracking, Transaction tracing, Custom metrics. Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation, SIEM capabilities, Advanced parsing, Compliance. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
Related pages
More on Elastic APM
More on Graylog Plus
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