Log Management · head to head
Grafana Loki vs Stackdriver
Stackdriver
Log Management
Google Cloud Operations - Monitoring and Logging
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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; Stackdriver stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- They diverge on capability: Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation, Stackdriver covers Log management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Grafana Loki and Stackdriver actually diverge.
| Attribute | Grafana Loki | Stackdriver |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | usage-based |
| Platforms | Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support) | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2014 | 2006 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Grafana Loki
- Log aggregation
- Label-based indexing
- LogQL language
- Cost-effective
Only in Stackdriver
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
- Error reporting
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.
Grafana Loki
- Cost-sensitive organisations deploying Kubernetes and Prometheus ecosystemsnot Stackdriver
- Teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environmentsnot Stackdriver
Stackdriver
- Centralised logging, metrics and traces for workloads running on Google Cloudnot Grafana Loki
- Alerting and uptime checks on cloud servicesnot Grafana Loki
- Running managed Prometheus-compatible monitoring at scalenot 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
Stackdriver
- Stackdriver is now branded Google Cloud Observability and cloud.google.com/stackdriver redirects to the Observability product page
- Cloud Logging charges $0.50 per GiB ingested, with only the first 50 GiB per project per month free
- Logs kept beyond 30 days cost an extra $0.01 per GiB per month on top of the ingestion charge
- Monitoring metric ingestion starts at $0.2580 per MiB, with only the first 150 MiB per billing account free
- Alerting policies are billed at $0.35 per month for each metric reference in the policy
- Uptime checks cost $0.30 per 1,000 executions and synthetic monitors $1.20 per 1,000 executions, with only 100 synthetic executions per billing account free
- Monitoring read API calls cost $0.50 per million time series returned beyond the first million per billing account
- Log volume is measured before indexing on the actual size of log entries, so verbose logging directly drives cost
Pricing, plan by plan
Grafana Loki
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Grafana Loki review.
Stackdriver
Free- FreeFree
- Log management
- Metrics collection
- Real-time monitoring
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.
Choose Stackdriver if
- You need log management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want metrics collection.
Questions people ask
- Is Grafana Loki or Stackdriver better?
- Neither clearly leads. Grafana Loki starts at Free and Stackdriver at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Grafana Loki or Stackdriver?
- Grafana Loki starts at Free and Stackdriver at Free.
- Does Grafana Loki or Stackdriver run on more platforms?
- Grafana Loki runs on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support). Stackdriver runs on Web, Api.
- 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 Stackdriver is typically brought in for.
- What can Grafana Loki do that Stackdriver cannot?
- Grafana Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, LogQL language, Cost-effective. Stackdriver covers Log management, Metrics collection, Real-time monitoring, Error reporting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.