Softwr

Log Management · head to head

Elasticsearch Service vs Airbrake

Elasticsearch Service logo

Elasticsearch Service

Log Management

Managed Elasticsearch Cloud Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Log Management

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Elasticsearch Service the 99.95 percent monthly uptime SLA applies only to the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers; Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
  • They diverge on capability: Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Airbrake covers Error tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elasticsearch Service and Airbrake actually diverge.

Attributes where Elasticsearch Service and Airbrake differ
AttributeElasticsearch ServiceAirbrake
Founded20112008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Log Management).

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 Elasticsearch Service

  • Full-text search
  • Scalability
  • High availability
  • Security

Only in Airbrake

  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring
  • Deploy tracking
  • Custom notifications

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.

Elasticsearch Service

  • Managed Elasticsearch without running the clusternot Airbrake
  • Log and observability data storage and searchnot Airbrake
  • Full-text search behind an applicationnot Airbrake
  • Deployments needing a specific cloud region across AWS, Azure or GCPnot Airbrake

Airbrake

  • Error and exception monitoring for web applicationsnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot Elasticsearch Service

Where each one falls short

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

Elasticsearch Service

  • The 99.95 percent monthly uptime SLA applies only to the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers
  • Serverless does not yet support traffic filtering, cross-project search or bring-your-own-key encryption
  • Serverless runs on AWS, GCP and Azure only, against 60 regions for the hosted option
  • Per-unit prices are not published; hosted is resource-based and serverless usage-based

Airbrake

  • Data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
  • The entry plan at $19 a month covers 25,000 errors and 7,500 events
  • Errors beyond the plan quota are billed on demand
  • Audit logs and spike forgiveness require the Pro tier
  • The lowest tier is limited to 1 user and 1 team

Pricing, plan by plan

Elasticsearch Service

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full-text search
    • Scalability
    • High availability

Airbrake

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Error tracking
    • Performance monitoring
    • Deploy tracking

Which should you pick?

Choose Elasticsearch Service if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want scalability.

Choose Airbrake if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want performance monitoring.

Questions people ask

Is Elasticsearch Service or Airbrake better?
Neither clearly leads. Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Airbrake at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elasticsearch Service or Airbrake?
Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Airbrake at Free.
Does Elasticsearch Service or Airbrake run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Elasticsearch Service for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Elasticsearch Service best used for?
Elasticsearch Service is most often used for managed elasticsearch without running the cluster, log and observability data storage and search, full-text search behind an application, deployments needing a specific cloud region across aws, azure or gcp. Of those, managed elasticsearch without running the cluster and log and observability data storage and search are not what Airbrake is typically brought in for.
What can Elasticsearch Service do that Airbrake cannot?
Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Scalability, High availability, Security. Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

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