Software · head to head
Fluentd vs Airbrake
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Fluentd fluentd needs more than 60 MB of memory at runtime, against roughly 450 KB for Fluent Bit; Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
- They diverge on capability: Fluentd covers Log collection, Airbrake covers Error tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fluentd and Airbrake actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), 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 Fluentd
- Log collection
- Data parsing
- Filtering and buffering
- Event routing
Only in Airbrake
- Error tracking
- Performance monitoring
- Deploy tracking
- Custom notifications
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.
Fluentd
- Unified log collection and routing from many sources to many destinationsnot Airbrake
- Parsing and transforming log records before forwardingnot Airbrake
- Aggregating logs from containers into Elasticsearch, S3 or a SIEMnot Airbrake
Airbrake
- Error and exception monitoring for web applicationsnot Fluentd
- Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot Fluentd
- Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot Fluentd
- Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot Fluentd
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fluentd
- Fluentd needs more than 60 MB of memory at runtime, against roughly 450 KB for Fluent Bit
- Fluentd is built as a Ruby gem and depends on other gems, so a Ruby runtime is required
- Its capability comes from over 1,000 external plugins rather than built in functionality, so each added input or output is a separate dependency
- The Fluent Bit documentation states that cloud providers have switched from Fluentd to Fluent Bit for performance and compatibility and calls Fluent Bit the next generation solution
Airbrake
- Data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
- The entry plan at $19 a month covers 25,000 errors and 7,500 events
- Errors beyond the plan quota are billed on demand
- Audit logs and spike forgiveness require the Pro tier
- The lowest tier is limited to 1 user and 1 team
Pricing, plan by plan
Fluentd
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Data parsing
- Filtering and buffering
Airbrake
Free- FreeFree
- Error tracking
- Performance monitoring
- Deploy tracking
Which should you pick?
Choose Fluentd if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want data parsing.
Choose Airbrake if
- You need error tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want performance monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Fluentd or Airbrake better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fluentd starts at Free and Airbrake at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fluentd or Airbrake?
- Fluentd starts at Free and Airbrake at Free.
- Does Fluentd or Airbrake run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Fluentd for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Fluentd best used for?
- Fluentd is most often used for unified log collection and routing from many sources to many destinations, parsing and transforming log records before forwarding, aggregating logs from containers into elasticsearch, s3 or a siem. Of those, unified log collection and routing from many sources to many destinations and parsing and transforming log records before forwarding are not what Airbrake is typically brought in for.
- What can Fluentd do that Airbrake cannot?
- Fluentd covers Log collection, Data parsing, Filtering and buffering, Event routing. Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.