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Software · head to head

ELK Stack vs Splunk Cloud

ELK Stack logo

ELK Stack

Software

Open Source Search and Log Analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splunk Cloud logo

Splunk Cloud

Software

Cloud-Based Log Management and Analytics

From
$675/year
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; Splunk Cloud significantly higher pricing than competitors like Datadog and Elastic
  • They diverge on capability: ELK Stack covers Full-text search, Splunk Cloud covers Real-time analytics.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ELK Stack and Splunk Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where ELK Stack and Splunk Cloud differ
AttributeELK StackSplunk Cloud
Starting priceFree$675/year
Pricing modelopen-sourceUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded20112003

Identical on both: 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 ELK Stack

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

Only in Splunk Cloud

  • Real-time analytics
  • Machine learning
  • Advanced dashboards
  • Compliance tools
  • Cloud scalability

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 Splunk Cloud
  • Dashboards and visualisation of machine data in Kibananot Splunk Cloud
  • Self managing a search and observability cluster on your own hardwarenot Splunk Cloud

Splunk Cloud

  • Log monitoringnot ELK Stack
  • Application performancenot ELK Stack
  • Security analyticsnot ELK Stack
  • Troubleshootingnot 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

Splunk Cloud

  • Significantly higher pricing than competitors like Datadog and Elastic
  • Per-GB ingest costs of $150+/day make budget forecasting difficult
  • Extended retention adds substantial additional costs
  • Enterprise Security add-on costs $25-45/GB/day on top of base pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

ELK Stack

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

Splunk Cloud

$675/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Splunk Cloud review.

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 Splunk Cloud if

  • You need real-time analytics.
  • You also want machine learning.
Splunk Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is ELK Stack or Splunk Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. ELK Stack starts at Free and Splunk Cloud at $675/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ELK Stack or Splunk Cloud?
ELK Stack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ELK Stack and $675/year for Splunk Cloud.
Does ELK Stack or Splunk Cloud run on more platforms?
ELK Stack runs on Web, Api. Splunk Cloud runs on Web.
Can I use ELK Stack for free?
Yes. ELK Stack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Splunk Cloud starts at $675/year.
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 Splunk Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can ELK Stack do that Splunk Cloud cannot?
ELK Stack covers Full-text search, Data visualization, Time-series analytics. Splunk Cloud covers Real-time analytics, Machine learning, Advanced dashboards, Compliance tools. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Splunk Cloud: How is Splunk Cloud priced?

Splunk Cloud uses two pricing models: legacy per-GB ingest at $150+/GB/day or newer workload pricing ranging from $3,000 to $400,000/month depending on pack size. Simpler deployments offer ingest pricing with 5GB/day at $675/year.

Source
Splunk Cloud: What is included with Splunk Cloud storage?

Storage is included for a default retention period, typically 90 days for hot/warm data, with extended retention costing extra.

Source
Splunk Cloud: Is Splunk Cloud managed or do I need to manage infrastructure?

Splunk Cloud is a fully managed SaaS offering where Cisco (current owner) handles infrastructure, upgrades, and scaling.

Source
Splunk Cloud: What makes Splunk Cloud expensive compared to alternatives?

Splunk remains the highest-priced major log platform, but offers the most powerful query language (SPL) and the deepest enterprise security ecosystem.

Source
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