Softwr

Software · head to head

Elastic APM vs Logz.io

Elastic APM logo

Elastic APM

Software

Application Performance Monitoring from Elastic

From
Free
Rated
-
Logz.io logo

Logz.io

Software

AI-Powered Log Analytics and Monitoring Platform

From
$99/month
Rated
-

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; Logz.io saaS-only with no self-hosting option
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Logz.io covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elastic APM and Logz.io actually diverge.

Attributes where Elastic APM and Logz.io differ
AttributeElastic APMLogz.io
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelopen-sourceUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud (SaaS), Web
Founded20112014

Identical on both: 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 Logz.io

  • Log aggregation
  • AI-powered insights
  • Elasticsearch integration
  • Alert management
  • Security analytics

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

Logz.io

  • 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

Logz.io

  • SaaS-only with no self-hosting option
  • High pricing for long data retention periods, with steep cost increases for larger data volumes
  • UI can take up to 10 seconds to load
  • Geo-location data is old and inaccurate
  • Expensive for smaller companies with limited log volumes
  • Data retention limitations at 14 days may not meet compliance requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic APM

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

Logz.io

$99/month
  • Pro$99/month
    • Log management
    • Real-time search
    • Basic alerts
  • Enterprise$custom/mo
    • All Pro features
    • Advanced security
    • Dedicated support

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 Logz.io if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You work on Cloud (SaaS), Web.
  • You also want ai-powered insights.

Questions people ask

Is Elastic APM or Logz.io better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic APM starts at Free and Logz.io at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elastic APM or Logz.io?
Elastic APM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Elastic APM and $99/month for Logz.io.
Does Elastic APM or Logz.io run on more platforms?
Elastic APM runs on Web, Api. Logz.io runs on Cloud (SaaS), Web.
Can I use Elastic APM for free?
Yes. Elastic APM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Logz.io starts at $99/month.
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 Logz.io is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic APM do that Logz.io cannot?
Elastic APM covers Performance monitoring, Error tracking, Transaction tracing, Custom metrics. Logz.io covers Log aggregation, AI-powered insights, Elasticsearch integration, Alert management. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Logz.io: Does Logz.io support self-hosting?

No. Logz.io is a fully SaaS platform with no self-hosting option, limiting flexibility for organizations with on-premises requirements or specific data residency needs.

Source
Logz.io: Is Logz.io based on open-source ELK Stack?

Logz.io is built on the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) but uses managed hosting. Note that Elasticsearch and Kibana switched to non-open-source licenses (SSPL) in February 2021, which may have legal implications.

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