Softwr

Log Management · head to head

Fluent Bit vs New Relic

Fluent Bit logo

Fluent Bit

Log Management

Fast and Lightweight Log Processor

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
New Relic logo

New Relic

Log Management

Observability made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fluent Bit fluent Bit ships over 100 built in plugins against more than 1,000 external plugins available for Fluentd, so fewer integrations exist out of the box; New Relic data ingest costs can be high for large-scale deployments with high logging volume, making budgeting difficult
  • They diverge on capability: Fluent Bit covers Log collection, New Relic covers APM.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fluent Bit and New Relic actually diverge.

Attributes where Fluent Bit and New Relic differ
AttributeFluent BitNew Relic
Pricing modelopen-sourceUnknown
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Api, Mobile
Founded20152008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Log Management).

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 Fluent Bit

  • Log collection
  • Lightweight processing
  • Data parsing
  • Event filtering
  • 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.

Fluent Bit

  • Lightweight log and metric forwarding from containers and edge devicesnot New Relic
  • Kubernetes node level log collection with a small memory footprintnot New Relic
  • Filtering and enriching telemetry before shipping it to a backendnot New Relic

New Relic

  • Application monitoringnot Fluent Bit
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Fluent Bit
  • Error trackingnot Fluent Bit
  • Performance optimizationnot Fluent Bit

Where each one falls short

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

Fluent Bit

  • Fluent Bit ships over 100 built in plugins against more than 1,000 external plugins available for Fluentd, so fewer integrations exist out of the box
  • It is written in C, so extending it beyond the built in plugins means writing C rather than Ruby
  • Dependencies are zero only until a plugin requires one

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

Fluent Bit

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Lightweight processing
    • Data parsing

New Relic

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the New Relic review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Fluent Bit if

  • You need log collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want lightweight processing.
Fluent Bit review

Choose New Relic if

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

Questions people ask

Is Fluent Bit or New Relic better?
Neither clearly leads. Fluent Bit 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, Fluent Bit or New Relic?
Fluent Bit starts at Free and New Relic at Free.
Does Fluent Bit or New Relic run on more platforms?
Fluent Bit runs on Web, Api. New Relic runs on Web, Api, Mobile.
Can I use Fluent Bit for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fluent Bit best used for?
Fluent Bit is most often used for lightweight log and metric forwarding from containers and edge devices, kubernetes node level log collection with a small memory footprint, filtering and enriching telemetry before shipping it to a backend. Of those, lightweight log and metric forwarding from containers and edge devices and kubernetes node level log collection with a small memory footprint are not what New Relic is typically brought in for.
What can Fluent Bit do that New Relic cannot?
Fluent Bit covers Log collection, Lightweight processing, Data parsing, Event filtering. New Relic covers APM, Infrastructure Monitoring, Log Management, Browser Monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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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Related pages

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