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Elasticsearch Service vs New Relic

Elasticsearch Service logo

Elasticsearch Service

Logging

Managed Elasticsearch Cloud Service

From
Free
Rated
-
New Relic logo

New Relic

Logging

Observability made simple

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; New Relic data ingest costs can be high for large-scale deployments with high logging volume, making budgeting difficult
  • They diverge on capability: Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, New Relic covers APM.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elasticsearch Service and New Relic actually diverge.

Attributes where Elasticsearch Service and New Relic differ
AttributeElasticsearch ServiceNew Relic
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Api, Mobile
Founded20112008

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

  • Full-text search
  • Scalability
  • High availability
  • Security
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in New Relic

  • APM
  • Infrastructure Monitoring
  • Log Management
  • Browser Monitoring
  • Synthetic Monitoring
  • Mobile Monitoring
  • Kubernetes Monitoring
  • AI Ops

What people use each for

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

Elasticsearch Service

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

New Relic

  • Application monitoringnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Error trackingnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Performance optimizationnot 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

New Relic

  • Data ingest costs can be high for large-scale deployments with high logging volume, making budgeting difficult
  • Core user licensing model adds complexity to pricing with distinction between full platform users and basic users
  • Default logs obfuscation may miss some sensitive patterns requiring custom configuration
  • Retention limits even on paid tiers require additional storage for long-term compliance requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Elasticsearch Service

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

New Relic

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the New Relic review.

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 New Relic if

  • You need apm.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Mobile.
  • You also want infrastructure monitoring.

Questions people ask

Is Elasticsearch Service or New Relic better?
Neither clearly leads. Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and New Relic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elasticsearch Service or New Relic?
Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and New Relic at Free.
Does Elasticsearch Service or New Relic run on more platforms?
Elasticsearch Service runs on Web, Api. New Relic runs on Web, Api, Mobile.
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 New Relic is typically brought in for.
What can Elasticsearch Service do that New Relic cannot?
Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Scalability, High availability, Security. New Relic covers APM, Infrastructure Monitoring, Log Management, Browser Monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Elasticsearch Service: What pricing models does Elasticsearch Service offer?

Elasticsearch Service offers Hosted pricing based on resources (monthly or prepaid options) and Serverless pricing based on usage (monthly or prepaid options). Specific rates are not published on this page.

Source
New Relic: Does New Relic offer a free tier?

Yes, New Relic's free tier is perpetual with no credit card required. It includes 100 GB of free data ingest monthly, one Full Platform User with access to all 50+ capabilities, and unlimited Basic Users for querying and dashboard creation.

Source
Elasticsearch Service: Is a free trial available for Elasticsearch Service?

Yes, Elasticsearch Service offers a free trial. Users can start a trial by registering at cloud.elastic.co/registration, though the specific trial duration is not published on the landing page.

Source
New Relic: How much does New Relic cost for paid plans?

Paid plans start at $49 per month per core user. New Relic uses consumption-based pricing where you pay only for what you use. Annual commitment options are available with volume discounts for larger teams.

Source
Elasticsearch Service: Does Elasticsearch Service support automatic scaling and cost management?

Yes. Elasticsearch Service includes searchable snapshots to reduce cold data costs, data tiering to keep hot data fast while reducing storage costs, and autoscaling to optimize resource utilization.

Source
New Relic: What data retention is included in New Relic's free tier?

The free tier includes a minimum of 8 days data retention for troubleshooting. Paid plans offer extended retention periods and customizable data retention policies.

Source
Elasticsearch Service: What encryption options does Elasticsearch Service provide?

Elasticsearch Service supports Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) encryption and PrivateLink for secure data routing, though explicit data ownership terms are not specified on this page.

Source
New Relic: How many integrations does New Relic support?

New Relic provides access to 780+ integrations and unlimited hosts at no additional cost. These include monitoring integrations for various cloud services, databases, and applications.

Source
New Relic: Can I use New Relic to monitor multiple cloud providers?

Yes, New Relic is cloud-agnostic and supports monitoring across AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and on-premises infrastructure in a single platform.

Source
New Relic: What is New Relic's ownership structure today?

New Relic was acquired by TPG and Francisco Partners on July 31, 2023, for $6.5 billion and transitioned from a publicly traded company to a private company in November 2023.

Source
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