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Logging · head to head

FireHydrant vs Loki

FireHydrant logo

FireHydrant

Logging

All-in-one incident management for alerting, on-call, and response

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Loki logo

Loki

Logging

Like Prometheus but for Logs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FireHydrant free tier has limited functionality with only 2 runbooks; Loki the Grafana Cloud free tier caps log ingestion at 50 GB a month with 14 day retention
  • They diverge on capability: FireHydrant covers Automated runbooks, Loki covers Log aggregation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FireHydrant and Loki actually diverge.

Attributes where FireHydrant and Loki differ
AttributeFireHydrantLoki
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
PlatformsWeb, Slack, Microsoft Teams, MobileWeb, Api
Founded20182014

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 FireHydrant

  • Automated runbooks
  • On-call management
  • Service catalog
  • Incident response collaboration
  • AI incident insights
  • Status pages
  • AI retrospectives

Only in Loki

  • Log aggregation
  • Label-based indexing
  • Real-time log streaming
  • LogQL query language
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

FireHydrant

  • Manage incidents directly from Slack or Teamsnot Loki
  • Automate incident response with runbooksnot Loki
  • Triage incidents and track ownershipnot Loki
  • Run post-incident retrospectivesnot Loki
  • Communicate incidents to customers automaticallynot Loki

Loki

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

Where each one falls short

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

FireHydrant

  • Free tier has limited functionality with only 2 runbooks
  • Pro plan billing is annual-only (no monthly option)
  • AI features concentrated in Enterprise tier
  • Pricing per responder can increase with team size

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

FireHydrant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 responders
    • 2 runbooks
    • Slack and Teams chatbot
  • Pro$25/responder-month
    • 5 runbooks
    • Slack and Teams chatbot
    • 1 retrospective template
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Everything in Pro plus
    • Viewer licenses
    • Unlimited runbooks

Loki

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

Which should you pick?

Choose FireHydrant if

  • You need automated runbooks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mobile.
  • You also want on-call management.
FireHydrant 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 FireHydrant or Loki better?
Neither clearly leads. FireHydrant 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, FireHydrant or Loki?
FireHydrant starts at Free and Loki at Free.
Does FireHydrant or Loki run on more platforms?
FireHydrant runs on Web, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mobile. Loki runs on Web, Api.
Can I use FireHydrant for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is FireHydrant best used for?
FireHydrant is most often used for manage incidents directly from slack or teams, automate incident response with runbooks, triage incidents and track ownership, run post-incident retrospectives. Of those, manage incidents directly from slack or teams and automate incident response with runbooks are not what Loki is typically brought in for.
What can FireHydrant do that Loki cannot?
FireHydrant covers Automated runbooks, On-call management, Service catalog, Incident response collaboration. Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, Real-time log streaming, LogQL query language.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FireHydrant: What is included in the free FireHydrant plan?

The free plan supports up to 10 responders, includes 2 runbooks, Slack and Teams chatbot, 1 public status page, and basic integrations (3).

Source
Loki: What does it cost to use Grafana Loki?

Loki is open source and free under the AGPLv3 license for self-hosted deployments. Grafana's managed Cloud Logs service includes a free tier up to 50GB of logs at no cost.

Source
FireHydrant: How much does FireHydrant Pro cost?

FireHydrant Pro costs $25 per responder per month, billed annually. This includes 5 runbooks, unlimited status pages, and all core incident management features.

Source
Loki: Are there paid options for Loki beyond the free tier?

Yes. Grafana Cloud Logs offers paid tiers for teams and enterprises, and Enterprise Logs provides self-managed options with expert support for organizations with data localization or privacy requirements.

Source
FireHydrant: Can I pay monthly for FireHydrant Pro?

No, the Pro plan requires annual billing to get the $25/responder/month rate. Contact sales for enterprise monthly billing options.

Source
Loki: What license does open source Loki use?

Loki is released under the AGPLv3 license, which requires you to share modifications and publish your source code if you deploy modifications publicly.

Source
FireHydrant: What AI features does FireHydrant offer?

FireHydrant AI is available in Enterprise plan and includes automated incident summaries, status page updates, live video transcription from Zoom and Google Meet, and triage assistance.

Source
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