Softwr

Logging · head to head

Elasticsearch Service vs Retrace

Elasticsearch Service logo

Elasticsearch Service

Logging

Managed Elasticsearch Cloud Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Retrace logo

Retrace

Logging

Application Performance Monitoring and 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; Retrace end of Life scheduled for March 31, 2027; the product is being discontinued
  • They diverge on capability: Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Retrace covers Log management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Elasticsearch Service and Retrace differ
AttributeElasticsearch ServiceRetrace
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python
Founded20112012

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

Only in Retrace

  • Log management
  • Application performance tracking
  • Error detection
  • Code profiling
  • Performance baselines

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

Retrace

  • Log monitoringnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Application performancenot Elasticsearch Service
  • Security analyticsnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Troubleshootingnot 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

Retrace

  • End of Life scheduled for March 31, 2027; the product is being discontinued
  • Costs escalate quickly with per-server billing model, expensive at scale
  • User interface and dashboard criticisms; UI is outdated and difficult to use
  • Logging latency; logs can take time to appear and are not instant
  • Less mature support for Node.js, Python, and newer ecosystems
  • Reporting issues where process restarts provide only timeline without root cause data
  • Reliability concerns; monitoring has stopped collecting traces with no warning

Pricing, plan by plan

Elasticsearch Service

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

Retrace

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log management
    • Application performance tracking
    • Error detection

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 Retrace if

  • You need log management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python.
  • You also want application performance tracking.
Retrace review

Questions people ask

Is Elasticsearch Service or Retrace better?
Neither clearly leads. Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Retrace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elasticsearch Service or Retrace?
Elasticsearch Service starts at Free and Retrace at Free.
Does Elasticsearch Service or Retrace run on more platforms?
Elasticsearch Service runs on Web, Api. Retrace runs on Web, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python.
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 Retrace is typically brought in for.
What can Elasticsearch Service do that Retrace cannot?
Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Scalability, High availability, Security. Retrace covers Log management, Application performance tracking, Error detection, Code profiling. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

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
Retrace: What does Retrace monitor?

Retrace provides application performance monitoring (APM), centralized log management, error tracking, code profiling, and real user monitoring (RUM). It aggregates logs from applications and servers in one place.

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
Retrace: What programming languages does Retrace support?

Retrace supports .NET, .NET Core, PHP, Node.js, Ruby, Python, and Java applications. Support for Node.js, Python, and newer ecosystems is noted as less mature.

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
Retrace: Is Retrace being discontinued?

Yes. Retrace will reach End of Life on March 31, 2027. Users should plan to migrate to alternative solutions.

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
Retrace: What databases and services does Retrace integrate with?

Retrace supports SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, and cloud platforms like AWS and Azure.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Elasticsearch Service

More on Retrace

Keep looking

Other head to heads