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Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Grafana Cloud vs Palo Alto Networks

Grafana Cloud logo

Grafana Cloud

Cloud & Infrastructure

Composable observability platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Palo Alto Networks logo

Palo Alto Networks

Network & Connectivity

Enterprise cybersecurity platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Grafana Cloud has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Grafana Cloud active Series (AS) billing model is difficult to predict and control; misconfiguration can cause sudden spikes and unexpected bills; Palo Alto Networks enterprise-focused pricing model
  • They diverge on capability: Grafana Cloud covers Grafana Dashboards, Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Grafana Cloud and Palo Alto Networks actually diverge.

Attributes where Grafana Cloud and Palo Alto Networks differ
AttributeGrafana CloudPalo Alto Networks
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), APICloud, On-premises, Hybrid
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureNetwork & Connectivity
Founded20142005

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Grafana Cloud

  • Grafana Dashboards
  • Prometheus Metrics
  • Loki Logs
  • Tempo Traces
  • Alerting
  • OnCall
  • Synthetic Monitoring
  • Incident Management

Only in Palo Alto Networks

  • Advanced threat prevention
  • Threat detection and response
  • Cloud security
  • Endpoint protection
  • Network security
  • API protection
  • Incident response
  • Threat intelligence

Both cover

  • AWS
  • Azure
  • SOC2
  • HIPAA
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Grafana Cloud

  • Infrastructure monitoringnot Palo Alto Networks
  • Application monitoringnot Palo Alto Networks
  • Log aggregationnot Palo Alto Networks
  • Distributed tracingnot Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks

  • Enterprise network security and threat protectionnot Grafana Cloud
  • Cloud-native application protectionnot Grafana Cloud
  • Identity and access securitynot Grafana Cloud
  • Security operations and incident responsenot Grafana Cloud

Where each one falls short

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

Grafana Cloud

  • Active Series (AS) billing model is difficult to predict and control; misconfiguration can cause sudden spikes and unexpected bills
  • Reduced control and customization compared to self-hosted Grafana instances
  • Data sovereignty concerns for organizations requiring on-premises data retention
  • Limited reporting types compared to traditional BI tools for compliance and audit requirements

Palo Alto Networks

  • Enterprise-focused pricing model
  • Complex implementation required

Pricing, plan by plan

Grafana Cloud

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10k active series (metrics)
    • 50GB logs/traces per month
    • 3 active users
  • Pro$19/month
    • Usage-based pricing beyond free tier
    • 8 USD per active visualization user
    • Included Grafana Alerting
  • Enterprise$25000/year
    • Minimum annual commitment
    • Full-service deployment options
    • Premium support

Palo Alto Networks

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Threat prevention
    • Detection and response
    • Cloud security

Which should you pick?

Choose Grafana Cloud if

  • You need grafana dashboards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), API.
  • You also want prometheus metrics.
Grafana Cloud review

Choose Palo Alto Networks if

  • You need advanced threat prevention.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid.
  • You also want threat detection and response.
Palo Alto Networks review

Questions people ask

Is Grafana Cloud or Palo Alto Networks better?
Neither clearly leads. Grafana Cloud starts at Free and Palo Alto Networks at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Grafana Cloud or Palo Alto Networks?
Grafana Cloud has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Grafana Cloud and On request for Palo Alto Networks.
Does Grafana Cloud or Palo Alto Networks run on more platforms?
Grafana Cloud runs on Web (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), API. Palo Alto Networks runs on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid.
Can I use Grafana Cloud for free?
Yes. Grafana Cloud has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Palo Alto Networks starts at On request.
What is Grafana Cloud best used for?
Grafana Cloud is most often used for infrastructure monitoring, application monitoring, log aggregation, distributed tracing. Of those, infrastructure monitoring and application monitoring are not what Palo Alto Networks is typically brought in for.
What can Grafana Cloud do that Palo Alto Networks cannot?
Grafana Cloud covers Grafana Dashboards, Prometheus Metrics, Loki Logs, Tempo Traces. Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention, Threat detection and response, Cloud security, Endpoint protection. Both handle AWS, Azure, SOC2, HIPAA.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Grafana Cloud: What are the exact limits of Grafana Cloud's free tier?

Grafana Cloud free tier includes 10,000 active series for metrics, 50GB logs and traces per month, 3 active visualization users, and 14-day retention with community support. No credit card required.

Source
Grafana Cloud: How is Grafana Cloud billed, and what are the per-unit costs?

Grafana Cloud Pro tier starts at $19/month platform fee plus usage-based charges. Metrics cost $6.50 per 1,000 active series above free limits, logs and traces are charged per GB ingested, and visualization users are $8 per active user.

Source
Grafana Cloud: Can I use Grafana Cloud for open-source Grafana deployments?

Grafana Cloud is the managed cloud service version. Open-source Grafana is free and can be self-hosted indefinitely on your own infrastructure.

Source
Grafana Cloud: What observability signals does Grafana Cloud include?

Grafana Cloud includes metrics (via Mimir), logs (via Loki), traces (via Tempo), profiles, and synthetics, with unified querying and visualization across all signals.

Source
Grafana Cloud: Does Grafana Cloud include alerting and how is it priced?

Yes, Grafana Alerting is included at no additional charge across all tiers. Rule storage, evaluation, and notification delivery are covered by the platform fee with no per-alert or per-notification fees.

Source
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