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Logging · head to head

Grafana Loki vs InfluxDB

Grafana Loki logo

Grafana Loki

Logging

Log Aggregation for Grafana Stack

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
InfluxDB logo

InfluxDB

Logging

Purpose-built time series database for metrics and events

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Grafana Loki grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment; InfluxDB high-cardinality data causes memory pressure and performance degradation
  • They diverge on capability: Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation, InfluxDB covers Time-series Storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Grafana Loki and InfluxDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Grafana Loki and InfluxDB differ
AttributeGrafana LokiInfluxDB
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsSelf-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support)Cloud, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
Founded20142012

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

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 Loki

  • Log aggregation
  • Label-based indexing
  • LogQL language
  • Cost-effective
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Api support

Only in InfluxDB

  • Time-series Storage
  • Flux Query Language
  • High Write Throughput
  • Data Compression
  • Retention Policies
  • Continuous Queries
  • Built-in Dashboards
  • Telegraf

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Grafana Loki

  • Cost-sensitive organisations deploying Kubernetes and Prometheus ecosystemsnot InfluxDB
  • Teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environmentsnot InfluxDB

InfluxDB

  • Monitoringnot Grafana Loki
  • IoT datanot Grafana Loki
  • Financial datanot Grafana Loki
  • Log analyticsnot Grafana Loki
  • Observabilitynot Grafana Loki

Where each one falls short

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

Grafana Loki

  • Grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
  • Open-source version requires self-hosting all infrastructure including storage and scaling

InfluxDB

  • High-cardinality data causes memory pressure and performance degradation
  • No support for joins or transactions like relational databases
  • Queries limited to 72-hour window in InfluxDB 3 OSS Core
  • Clustering and authentication features absent from community version

Pricing, plan by plan

Grafana Loki

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Grafana Loki review.

InfluxDB

Free
  • Cloud Serverless FreeFree
    • 5 MB writes per 5 minutes
    • 300 MB queries per 5 minutes
    • 30 day retention
  • Cloud Serverless Usage-Based$undefined/mo
    • 0.0025 USD per MB ingested
    • 0.012 USD per 100 queries
    • 0.002 USD per GB-hour storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Grafana Loki if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
  • You also want label-based indexing.
Grafana Loki review

Choose InfluxDB if

  • You need time-series storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure.
  • You also want flux query language.
InfluxDB review

Questions people ask

Is Grafana Loki or InfluxDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Grafana Loki starts at Free and InfluxDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Grafana Loki or InfluxDB?
Grafana Loki starts at Free and InfluxDB at Free.
Does Grafana Loki or InfluxDB run on more platforms?
Grafana Loki runs on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support). InfluxDB runs on Cloud, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure.
Can I use Grafana Loki for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Grafana Loki best used for?
Grafana Loki is most often used for cost-sensitive organisations deploying kubernetes and prometheus ecosystems, teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environments. Of those, cost-sensitive organisations deploying kubernetes and prometheus ecosystems and teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environments are not what InfluxDB is typically brought in for.
What can Grafana Loki do that InfluxDB cannot?
Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, LogQL language, Cost-effective. InfluxDB covers Time-series Storage, Flux Query Language, High Write Throughput, Data Compression. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Grafana Loki: Is there a free tier for Grafana Cloud?

Yes, Grafana Cloud has a Free Forever plan at no cost with no registration required. The free tier is suitable for personal projects and early-stage startups.

Source
InfluxDB: Is there a free tier and what are the limits?

InfluxDB 3 Core OSS is free forever for local development and prototyping. Cloud Serverless free tier includes 5 MB writes per 5 minutes, 300 MB queries per 5 minutes, 30 day retention, and 2 databases.

Source
Grafana Loki: How long is data retained in Grafana's free plan?

The free tier retains metrics, logs, traces, and profiles for 14 days.

Source
InfluxDB: Can I self-host InfluxDB?

Yes, InfluxDB 3 Core is fully open source and can be self-hosted with no license required. InfluxDB 3 Enterprise is self-managed and includes a 30-day free trial.

Source
Grafana Loki: What is the minimum cost for Grafana Enterprise?

Grafana Enterprise has a minimum annual commitment of 25,000 dollars.

Source
InfluxDB: What are the series cardinality limitations?

InfluxDB is sensitive to high-cardinality data. High cardinality increases RAM usage and can trigger out-of-memory errors, making it unsuitable for some workloads with many unique tag combinations.

Source
Grafana Loki: Do I need a credit card to use Grafana's free tier?

No, Grafana Cloud's Free Forever plan requires no credit card to get started.

Source
InfluxDB: Does InfluxDB support SQL queries?

InfluxDB has limited SQL support. Full SQL is available in InfluxDB 3, but earlier versions support only specific SQL commands and use InfluxQL as the primary query language.

Source
Grafana Loki: How is Grafana Cloud billed?

Grafana Cloud Pro starts at 19 dollars per month with usage-based charges on top. Billing is monthly based on your consumption. Grafana offers automatic volume discounts based on your spending.

Source
InfluxDB: Can I export my data from InfluxDB?

Yes, data can be exported from InfluxDB using query results. However, the process and supported formats depend on the version and deployment type you are using.

Source
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