Softwr

Log Management · head to head

Elastic Stack vs Graylog

Elastic Stack logo

Elastic Stack

Log Management

Search, Observability, and Security Solutions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Graylog logo

Graylog

Log Management

Log Aggregation and Analysis Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Graylog 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; Graylog graylog Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year and Graylog Security at $18,000 per year, priced by daily volume or annual consumption
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic Stack covers Log analytics, Graylog covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Elastic Stack and Graylog differ
AttributeElastic StackGraylog
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud-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

  • Log analytics
  • Security monitoring
  • Alerting

Only in Graylog

  • Log aggregation
  • Parsing and extraction
  • Real-time analytics

Both cover

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

Graylog

  • Centralising and searching application and infrastructure logsnot Elastic Stack
  • Running a SIEM with threat detection and investigation workflowsnot Elastic Stack
  • Self-hosting log management without per-GB SaaS billingnot 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

Graylog

  • Graylog Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year and Graylog Security at $18,000 per year, priced by daily volume or annual consumption
  • Correlation engine, scheduled and custom reports, compliance reports and teams management are Enterprise-only
  • Data tiering across hot, warm and archive storage is an Enterprise feature, not available in Graylog Open
  • Graylog Open carries community support only; professional support requires a paid edition
  • UEBA anomaly detection, Sigma rules, MITRE ATT&CK alignment and SOAR automation are limited to Graylog Security

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic Stack

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic Stack review.

Graylog

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Full-text search
    • Parsing and extraction

Which should you pick?

Choose Elastic Stack if

  • You need log analytics.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK).
  • You also want security monitoring.
Elastic Stack review

Choose Graylog if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want parsing and extraction.
Graylog review

Questions people ask

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