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Elastic Stack vs Splunk Enterprise

Elastic Stack logo

Elastic Stack

Software

Search, Observability, and Security Solutions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splunk Enterprise logo

Splunk Enterprise

Software

Enterprise Search, Monitoring, and Analytics

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Elastic Stack self-managed deployment requires licensing based on node count and RAM usage; Splunk Enterprise splunk Platform and Enterprise Security offerings carry no published rate and require contacting sales for a quote
  • They diverge on capability: Elastic Stack covers Full-text search, Splunk Enterprise covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elastic Stack and Splunk Enterprise actually diverge.

Attributes where Elastic Stack and Splunk Enterprise differ
AttributeElastic StackSplunk Enterprise
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsCloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK)Web, Api
Founded20112003

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Stack

  • Full-text search
  • Log analytics
  • Security monitoring
  • Alerting

Only in Splunk Enterprise

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Advanced analytics
  • Compliance

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

Splunk Enterprise

  • Indexing and searching machine data and logs at enterprise scalenot Elastic Stack
  • Security information and event management via Enterprise Securitynot Elastic Stack
  • IT service intelligence and infrastructure observabilitynot 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

Splunk Enterprise

  • Splunk Platform and Enterprise Security offerings carry no published rate and require contacting sales for a quote
  • Four different pricing models are offered (activity, ingest, workload and entity based) and the applicable one depends on the product purchased
  • Published Observability Cloud rates start at $15 per host per month and are billed annually rather than monthly
  • Volume discounts are not published and require direct consultation with sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic Stack

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic Stack review.

Splunk Enterprise

On request
  • Starter$undefined/month
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time monitoring
    • Advanced analytics

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 Splunk Enterprise if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time monitoring.
Splunk Enterprise review

Questions people ask

Is Elastic Stack or Splunk Enterprise better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic Stack starts at On request and Splunk Enterprise at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elastic Stack or Splunk Enterprise?
Elastic Stack starts at On request and Splunk Enterprise at On request.
Does Elastic Stack or Splunk Enterprise run on more platforms?
Elastic Stack runs on Cloud-hosted, Self-managed, Docker, Kubernetes (ECK). Splunk Enterprise runs on Web, Api.
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 Splunk Enterprise is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic Stack do that Splunk Enterprise cannot?
Elastic Stack covers Full-text search, Log analytics, Security monitoring, Alerting. Splunk Enterprise covers Log aggregation, Real-time monitoring, Advanced analytics, Compliance. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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