Log Management · head to head
Elastic Stack vs Filebeat
Elastic Stack
Log Management
Search, Observability, and Security Solutions
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Filebeat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Elastic Stack self-managed deployment requires licensing based on node count and RAM usage; Filebeat filebeat ships only as part of the Elastic Stack and has no standalone commercial license; using it in production requires deploying Elasticsearch and typically Kibana alongside it.
- They diverge on capability: Elastic Stack covers Full-text search, Filebeat covers File tailing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Elastic Stack and Filebeat actually diverge.
| Attribute | Elastic Stack | Filebeat |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK) | Web, Api |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Log Management), 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 Stack
- Full-text search
- Log analytics
- Security monitoring
- Alerting
Only in Filebeat
- File tailing
- Log forwarding
- Event parsing
- Input harvesting
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 Stack
- Distributed search and analytics engine for production-scale workloadsnot Filebeat
- Full-text search and vector search with approximate nearest neighbour supportnot Filebeat
- Security event tracking with field-level and document-level access controlnot Filebeat
- Machine learning capabilities including anomaly detection and forecastingnot Filebeat
Filebeat
- Log monitoringnot Elastic Stack
- Application performancenot Elastic Stack
- Security analyticsnot Elastic Stack
- Troubleshootingnot Elastic Stack
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Elastic Stack
- Self-managed deployment requires licensing based on node count and RAM usage
- Serverless option has pending features including traffic filtering and bring-your-own-key encryption
- Hosted deployment requires custom resource configuration for cluster management
- Pricing models differ significantly across Hosted, Serverless, and Self-managed options
Filebeat
- Filebeat ships only as part of the Elastic Stack and has no standalone commercial license; using it in production requires deploying Elasticsearch and typically Kibana alongside it.
Pricing, plan by plan
Elastic Stack
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Elastic Stack review.
Filebeat
Free- FreeFree
- File tailing
- Log forwarding
- Event parsing
Which should you pick?
Choose Elastic Stack if
- You need full-text search.
- You work on Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK).
- You also want log analytics.
Choose Filebeat if
- You need file tailing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want log forwarding.
Questions people ask
- Is Elastic Stack or Filebeat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Elastic Stack starts at On request and Filebeat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Elastic Stack or Filebeat?
- Filebeat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Elastic Stack and Free for Filebeat.
- Does Elastic Stack or Filebeat run on more platforms?
- Elastic Stack runs on Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK). Filebeat runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Filebeat for free?
- Yes. Filebeat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Elastic Stack starts at On request.
- What is Elastic Stack best used for?
- Elastic Stack is most often used for distributed search and analytics engine for production-scale workloads, full-text search and vector search with approximate nearest neighbour support, security event tracking with field-level and document-level access control, machine learning capabilities including anomaly detection and forecasting. Of those, distributed search and analytics engine for production-scale workloads and full-text search and vector search with approximate nearest neighbour support are not what Filebeat is typically brought in for.
- What can Elastic Stack do that Filebeat cannot?
- Elastic Stack covers Full-text search, Log analytics, Security monitoring, Alerting. Filebeat covers File tailing, Log forwarding, Event parsing, Input harvesting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.