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Logging · head to head

Elastic APM vs Logstash

Elastic APM logo

Elastic APM

Logging

Application Performance Monitoring from Elastic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Logstash logo

Logstash

Logging

Data Processing Pipeline for Ingestion

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Logstash logstash's source is dual licensed: code outside the x-pack directory is Apache License 2.0, but code inside x-pack (which carries several of Logstash's monitoring and management features) is licensed under the Elastic License, not a fully open source license
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Logstash covers Data ingestion.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elastic APM and Logstash actually diverge.

Attributes where Elastic APM and Logstash differ
AttributeElastic APMLogstash

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging), 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 Logstash

  • Data ingestion
  • Event parsing
  • Data transformation
  • Multiple input sources

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 Logstash
  • Auto-instrumenting Java, .NET, Python, Go, Node.js, Ruby, PHP and C++ servicesnot Logstash
  • OpenTelemetry-native collection through the Elastic distributionsnot Logstash
  • Correlating latency and errors with machine learningnot Logstash
  • Monitoring LLM calls alongside application tracesnot Logstash

Logstash

  • Log monitoringnot Elastic APM
  • Application performancenot Elastic APM
  • Security analyticsnot Elastic APM
  • Troubleshootingnot 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

Logstash

  • Logstash's source is dual licensed: code outside the x-pack directory is Apache License 2.0, but code inside x-pack (which carries several of Logstash's monitoring and management features) is licensed under the Elastic License, not a fully open source license

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic APM

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Performance monitoring
    • Error tracking
    • Transaction tracing

Logstash

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Data ingestion
    • Event parsing
    • Data transformation

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.
Elastic APM review

Choose Logstash if

  • You need data ingestion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want event parsing.
Logstash review

Questions people ask

Is Elastic APM or Logstash better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic APM starts at Free and Logstash at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elastic APM or Logstash?
Elastic APM starts at Free and Logstash at Free.
Does Elastic APM or Logstash 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?
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 Logstash is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic APM do that Logstash cannot?
Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Error tracking, Transaction tracing, Custom metrics. Logstash covers Data ingestion, Event parsing, Data transformation, Multiple input sources. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Elastic APM: Is Elastic APM pricing published?

Elastic APM pricing is not published on the product page. Pricing is available through the main Elastic pricing page or by contacting Elastic sales directly.

Source
Logstash: How much does Logstash cost?

Logstash is free and open-source. The data processing pipeline is available to download at no charge and can be deployed without licensing costs or commercial restrictions.

Source
Elastic APM: Does Elastic APM offer a free trial?

Yes. Elastic APM offers a free trial through Elastic Cloud Serverless registration. A guided demo is also available in the Elastic demo gallery.

Source
Elastic APM: What deployment options are available for Elastic APM?

Elastic APM can be deployed on Elastic Cloud Serverless (zero operational overhead), Elastic Cloud Hosted (deploy on any cloud), or self-managed Elasticsearch.

Source
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