Log Management · head to head
Fluent Bit vs Splunk Enterprise
Splunk Enterprise
Log Management
Enterprise Search, Monitoring, and Analytics
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Fluent Bit has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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; Splunk Enterprise splunk Platform and Enterprise Security offerings carry no published rate and require contacting sales for a quote
- They diverge on capability: Fluent Bit covers Log collection, Splunk Enterprise covers Log aggregation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fluent Bit and Splunk Enterprise actually diverge.
| Attribute | Fluent Bit | Splunk Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | open-source | usage-based |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2015 | 2003 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), 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
Only in Splunk Enterprise
- Log aggregation
- Real-time monitoring
- Advanced analytics
- Compliance
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.
Fluent Bit
- Lightweight log and metric forwarding from containers and edge devicesnot Splunk Enterprise
- Kubernetes node level log collection with a small memory footprintnot Splunk Enterprise
- Filtering and enriching telemetry before shipping it to a backendnot Splunk Enterprise
Splunk Enterprise
- Indexing and searching machine data and logs at enterprise scalenot Fluent Bit
- Security information and event management via Enterprise Securitynot Fluent Bit
- IT service intelligence and infrastructure observabilitynot 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
Splunk Enterprise
- Splunk Platform and Enterprise Security offerings carry no published rate and require contacting sales for a quote
- Four different pricing models are offered (activity, ingest, workload and entity based) and the applicable one depends on the product purchased
- Published Observability Cloud rates start at $15 per host per month and are billed annually rather than monthly
- Volume discounts are not published and require direct consultation with sales
Pricing, plan by plan
Fluent Bit
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Lightweight processing
- Data parsing
Splunk Enterprise
On request- Starter$undefined/month
- Log aggregation
- Real-time monitoring
- Advanced analytics
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.
Choose Splunk Enterprise if
- You need log aggregation.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want real-time monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Fluent Bit or Splunk Enterprise better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fluent Bit starts at Free and Splunk Enterprise at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fluent Bit or Splunk Enterprise?
- Fluent Bit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fluent Bit and On request for Splunk Enterprise.
- Does Fluent Bit or Splunk Enterprise run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Fluent Bit for free?
- Yes. Fluent Bit has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Splunk Enterprise starts at On request.
- 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 Splunk Enterprise is typically brought in for.
- What can Fluent Bit do that Splunk Enterprise cannot?
- Fluent Bit covers Log collection, Lightweight processing, Data parsing, Event filtering. Splunk Enterprise covers Log aggregation, Real-time monitoring, Advanced analytics, Compliance. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
Related pages
More on Splunk Enterprise
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