Software · head to head
Fluentd vs Rollbar
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; Rollbar the free plan allows 5,000 occurrences a month with 30 day retention
- They diverge on capability: Fluentd covers Log collection, Rollbar covers Error tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fluentd and Rollbar 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 Rollbar
- Error tracking
- Real-time alerts
- Error grouping
- Source maps
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 Rollbar
- Parsing and transforming log records before forwardingnot Rollbar
- Aggregating logs from containers into Elasticsearch, S3 or a SIEMnot Rollbar
Rollbar
- Tracking application errors and exceptions across deploymentsnot Fluentd
- Grouping and alerting on production error occurrencesnot 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
Rollbar
- The free plan allows 5,000 occurrences a month with 30 day retention
- Retention is a paid ladder rather than a setting, at up to 90 days on Essentials and up to 180 on Advanced
- Advanced alerting, the RQL analytics query language and SCIM provisioning are excluded from the free plan
- Enterprise requires a $4M annual plan minimum
- No price is published for Essentials or Advanced, so only the free tier has a visible cost
Pricing, plan by plan
Fluentd
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Data parsing
- Filtering and buffering
Rollbar
Free- FreeFree
- Error tracking
- Real-time alerts
- Error grouping
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 Rollbar if
- You need error tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want real-time alerts.
Questions people ask
- Is Fluentd or Rollbar better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fluentd starts at Free and Rollbar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fluentd or Rollbar?
- Fluentd starts at Free and Rollbar at Free.
- Does Fluentd or Rollbar 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 Rollbar is typically brought in for.
- What can Fluentd do that Rollbar cannot?
- Fluentd covers Log collection, Data parsing, Filtering and buffering, Event routing. Rollbar covers Error tracking, Real-time alerts, Error grouping, Source maps. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.