Softwr

Log Management · head to head

Elastic Stack vs Grafana

Elastic Stack logo

Elastic Stack

Log Management

Search, Observability, and Security Solutions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grafana logo

Grafana

Network & Connectivity

Observability and Data Visualization

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Grafana 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; Grafana the free tier retains metrics, logs and traces for 14 days only
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic Stack covers Full-text search, Grafana covers Dashboard creation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elastic Stack and Grafana actually diverge.

Attributes where Elastic Stack and Grafana differ
AttributeElastic StackGrafana
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK)Web, Api
CategoryLog ManagementNetwork & Connectivity
Founded20112014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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

Only in Grafana

  • Dashboard creation
  • Data source integration
  • Visualization plugins

Both cover

  • Alerting
  • 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 Grafana
  • Full-text search and vector search with approximate nearest neighbour supportnot Grafana
  • Security event tracking with field-level and document-level access controlnot Grafana
  • Machine learning capabilities including anomaly detection and forecastingnot Grafana

Grafana

  • Dashboards and visualisation over metrics, logs and tracesnot Elastic Stack
  • Running observability across infrastructure and applicationsnot 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

Grafana

  • The free tier retains metrics, logs and traces for 14 days only
  • Free is capped at 10,000 active metric series and 50 GB each of logs and traces a month
  • The Pro plan carries a $19 a month platform fee before any usage charges
  • Logs and traces are billed on three separate meters, at $0.050 per GB processed, $0.400 per GB written and $0.100 per GB retained
  • Retaining data is an ongoing charge rather than a one off, so historical data costs every month it exists

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic Stack

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic Stack review.

Grafana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Dashboard creation
    • Alerting
    • Data source integration

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.
Elastic Stack review

Choose Grafana if

  • You need dashboard creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want data source integration.
Grafana review

Questions people ask

Is Elastic Stack or Grafana better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic Stack starts at On request and Grafana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elastic Stack or Grafana?
Grafana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Elastic Stack and Free for Grafana.
Does Elastic Stack or Grafana run on more platforms?
Elastic Stack runs on Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK). Grafana runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Grafana for free?
Yes. Grafana 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 Grafana is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic Stack do that Grafana cannot?
Elastic Stack covers Full-text search, Log analytics, Security monitoring. Grafana covers Dashboard creation, Data source integration, Visualization plugins. Both handle Alerting, API, Webhooks, REST.
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