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Software · head to head

ELK Stack vs Graylog Plus

ELK Stack logo

ELK Stack

Software

Open Source Search and Log Analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Graylog Plus logo

Graylog Plus

Software

Enterprise Log Aggregation and SIEM

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ELK Stack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ELK Stack the free Basic self managed subscription excludes machine learning, alerting, single sign on via SAML or OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory authentication, field and document level security, searchable snapshots and cross cluster replication; Graylog Plus pricing is not published on the product pages
  • They diverge on capability: ELK Stack covers Full-text search, Graylog Plus covers SIEM capabilities.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ELK Stack and Graylog Plus actually diverge.

Attributes where ELK Stack and Graylog Plus differ
AttributeELK StackGraylog Plus
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), 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 ELK Stack

  • Full-text search
  • Data visualization
  • Time-series analytics

Only in Graylog Plus

  • SIEM capabilities
  • Advanced parsing
  • Compliance

Both cover

  • Log aggregation
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

ELK Stack

  • Centralised log search and analytics over Elasticsearchnot Graylog Plus
  • Dashboards and visualisation of machine data in Kibananot Graylog Plus
  • Self managing a search and observability cluster on your own hardwarenot Graylog Plus

Graylog Plus

  • Centralised log collection, search and analysisnot ELK Stack
  • SIEM and threat detection through Graylog Securitynot ELK Stack
  • Self-hosting log management on your own infrastructurenot ELK Stack
  • API security monitoringnot ELK Stack
  • Compliance reporting from retained log datanot ELK Stack

Where each one falls short

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

ELK Stack

  • The free Basic self managed subscription excludes machine learning, alerting, single sign on via SAML or OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory authentication, field and document level security, searchable snapshots and cross cluster replication
  • Cross cluster operations require the same subscription tier on every cluster involved
  • The 99.95 percent monthly uptime SLA applies only to the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers
  • Three deployment models are priced on three different bases: resource based for Cloud Hosted, usage based for Serverless and licence based on nodes and RAM for self managed
  • Elastic Cloud Serverless does not yet support traffic filtering, cross project search or bring your own key
  • The pricing page publishes no rate for any tier

Graylog Plus

  • Pricing is not published on the product pages
  • Split across several editions, Graylog Open, Enterprise, Security and API Security, so log management and SIEM are separate purchases
  • The open edition is source-available rather than fully open source, and the guided setup, prebuilt content and AI assistance are Enterprise features

Pricing, plan by plan

ELK Stack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full-text search
    • Data visualization
    • Log aggregation

Graylog Plus

On request
  • Starter$undefined/month
    • Log aggregation
    • SIEM capabilities
    • Advanced parsing

Which should you pick?

Choose ELK Stack if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want data visualization.
ELK Stack review

Choose Graylog Plus if

  • You need siem capabilities.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want advanced parsing.
Graylog Plus review

Questions people ask

Is ELK Stack or Graylog Plus better?
Neither clearly leads. ELK Stack starts at Free and Graylog Plus at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ELK Stack or Graylog Plus?
ELK Stack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ELK Stack and On request for Graylog Plus.
Does ELK Stack or Graylog Plus run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use ELK Stack for free?
Yes. ELK Stack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Graylog Plus starts at On request.
What is ELK Stack best used for?
ELK Stack is most often used for centralised log search and analytics over elasticsearch, dashboards and visualisation of machine data in kibana, self managing a search and observability cluster on your own hardware. Of those, centralised log search and analytics over elasticsearch and dashboards and visualisation of machine data in kibana are not what Graylog Plus is typically brought in for.
What can ELK Stack do that Graylog Plus cannot?
ELK Stack covers Full-text search, Data visualization, Time-series analytics. Graylog Plus covers SIEM capabilities, Advanced parsing, Compliance. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.
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