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Log Management · head to head

Elasticsearch Service vs Graylog

Elasticsearch Service logo

Elasticsearch Service

Log Management

Managed Elasticsearch Cloud Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Graylog logo

Graylog

Log Management

Log Aggregation and Analysis Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; 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: Elasticsearch Service covers Scalability, Graylog covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Elasticsearch Service and Graylog differ
AttributeElasticsearch ServiceGraylog
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), 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 Elasticsearch Service

  • Scalability
  • High availability
  • Security

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.

Elasticsearch Service

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

Graylog

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

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

Elasticsearch Service

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

Graylog

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Elasticsearch Service if

  • You need scalability.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want high availability.
Elasticsearch Service 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 Elasticsearch Service or Graylog better?
Neither clearly leads. Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Graylog at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elasticsearch Service or Graylog?
Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Graylog at Free.
Does Elasticsearch Service or Graylog 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 Graylog is typically brought in for.
What can Elasticsearch Service do that Graylog cannot?
Elasticsearch Service covers Scalability, High availability, Security. Graylog covers Log aggregation, Parsing and extraction, Real-time analytics. Both handle Full-text search, API, Webhooks, REST.
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