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Logging · head to head

Elastic vs Grafana Loki

Elastic logo

Elastic

Logging

Search AI powered by Elasticsearch

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grafana Loki logo

Grafana Loki

Logging

Log Aggregation for Grafana Stack

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Grafana Loki has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Elastic no specific pricing amounts published on pricing page; customer must contact sales or start trial; Grafana Loki grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Elastic and Grafana Loki differ
AttributeElasticGrafana Loki
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebSelf-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support)
FoundedUnknown2014

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

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

Nothing recorded that Grafana Loki does not also cover.

Only in Grafana Loki

  • Log aggregation
  • Label-based indexing
  • LogQL language
  • Cost-effective
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Elastic

  • Building ecommerce search experiences with vector databases and AInot Grafana Loki
  • Monitoring application performance and resolving infrastructure issues at scalenot Grafana Loki
  • Investigating security incidents across distributed cloud infrastructurenot Grafana Loki
  • Analyzing customer support logs to identify recurring issuesnot Grafana Loki

Grafana Loki

  • Cost-sensitive organisations deploying Kubernetes and Prometheus ecosystemsnot Elastic
  • Teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environmentsnot Elastic

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Elastic

  • No specific pricing amounts published on pricing page; customer must contact sales or start trial
  • Three deployment models (Cloud Hosted, Cloud Serverless, Self-managed) have different pricing structures

Grafana Loki

  • Grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
  • Open-source version requires self-hosting all infrastructure including storage and scaling

Pricing, plan by plan

Elastic

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic review.

Grafana Loki

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Grafana Loki review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Elastic if

Nothing in the data separates Elastic from Grafana Loki on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Elastic review

Choose Grafana Loki if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
  • You also want label-based indexing.
Grafana Loki review

Questions people ask

Is Elastic or Grafana Loki better?
Neither clearly leads. Elastic starts at On request and Grafana Loki at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elastic or Grafana Loki?
Grafana Loki has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Elastic and Free for Grafana Loki.
Does Elastic or Grafana Loki run on more platforms?
Elastic runs on Web. Grafana Loki runs on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
Can I use Grafana Loki for free?
Yes. Grafana Loki has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Elastic starts at On request.
What is Elastic best used for?
Elastic is most often used for building ecommerce search experiences with vector databases and ai, monitoring application performance and resolving infrastructure issues at scale, investigating security incidents across distributed cloud infrastructure, analyzing customer support logs to identify recurring issues. Of those, building ecommerce search experiences with vector databases and ai and monitoring application performance and resolving infrastructure issues at scale are not what Grafana Loki is typically brought in for.
What can Elastic do that Grafana Loki cannot?
Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, LogQL language, Cost-effective.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Elastic: What are Elastic's deployment pricing options?

Elastic offers three deployment models: Elastic Cloud Hosted (resource-based, pay-as-you-go or prepaid monthly), Elastic Cloud Serverless (usage-based on search/indexing consumption, pay-as-you-go or prepaid), and Self-managed (license-based on nodes and RAM). Actual dollar amounts are not published and require contacting sales or starting a free trial.

Source
Grafana Loki: Is there a free tier for Grafana Cloud?

Yes, Grafana Cloud has a Free Forever plan at no cost with no registration required. The free tier is suitable for personal projects and early-stage startups.

Source
Elastic: Does Elastic Cloud Serverless have feature limitations?

Yes, Elastic Cloud Serverless deployments have 'Most solution and platform capabilities' with some upcoming features not yet available, including traffic filtering, cross-project search, and bring-your-own-key encryption.

Source
Grafana Loki: How long is data retained in Grafana's free plan?

The free tier retains metrics, logs, traces, and profiles for 14 days.

Source
Elastic: How can you get Elastic pricing?

Elastic directs customers to start a free trial, contact sales for specific quotes, or visit dedicated pricing pages for individual products (Elasticsearch, Observability, Security).

Source
Grafana Loki: What is the minimum cost for Grafana Enterprise?

Grafana Enterprise has a minimum annual commitment of 25,000 dollars.

Source
Grafana Loki: Do I need a credit card to use Grafana's free tier?

No, Grafana Cloud's Free Forever plan requires no credit card to get started.

Source
Grafana Loki: How is Grafana Cloud billed?

Grafana Cloud Pro starts at 19 dollars per month with usage-based charges on top. Billing is monthly based on your consumption. Grafana offers automatic volume discounts based on your spending.

Source
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