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Elasticsearch Service vs Loki

Elasticsearch Service logo

Elasticsearch Service

Software

Managed Elasticsearch Cloud Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Loki logo

Loki

Software

Like Prometheus but for Logs

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; Loki the Grafana Cloud free tier caps log ingestion at 50 GB a month with 14 day retention
  • They diverge on capability: Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Loki covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Elasticsearch Service and Loki differ
AttributeElasticsearch ServiceLoki
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
Founded20112014

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

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

Only in Loki

  • Log aggregation
  • Label-based indexing
  • Real-time log streaming
  • LogQL query language

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 Loki
  • Log and observability data storage and searchnot Loki
  • Full-text search behind an applicationnot Loki
  • Deployments needing a specific cloud region across AWS, Azure or GCPnot Loki

Loki

  • Aggregating application and infrastructure logs with label based indexingnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Querying logs alongside metrics in Grafananot 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

Loki

  • The Grafana Cloud free tier caps log ingestion at 50 GB a month with 14 day retention
  • Paid log pricing is split across three separate meters, at $0.050 per GB processed, $0.400 per GB written and $0.100 per GB retained
  • Retaining logs is billed separately from ingesting them, so keeping data costs on an ongoing basis rather than once
  • The Pro plan carries a $19 a month platform fee before any usage charges

Pricing, plan by plan

Elasticsearch Service

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

Loki

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Label-based indexing
    • Real-time log streaming

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.
Elasticsearch Service review

Choose Loki if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want label-based indexing.
Loki review

Questions people ask

Is Elasticsearch Service or Loki better?
Neither clearly leads. Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Loki at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elasticsearch Service or Loki?
Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Loki at Free.
Does Elasticsearch Service or Loki 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 Loki is typically brought in for.
What can Elasticsearch Service do that Loki cannot?
Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Scalability, High availability, Security. Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, Real-time log streaming, LogQL query language. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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Related pages

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