Software · head to head
Graylog Plus vs ELK Stack
The short version
- Only ELK Stack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Graylog Plus pricing is not published on the product pages; ELK Stack the free Basic self managed subscription excludes machine learning, alerting, single sign on via SAML or OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory authentication, field and document level security, searchable snapshots and cross cluster replication
- They diverge on capability: Graylog Plus covers SIEM capabilities, ELK Stack covers Full-text search.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Graylog Plus and ELK Stack actually diverge.
| Attribute | Graylog Plus | ELK Stack |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2011).
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 Graylog Plus
- SIEM capabilities
- Advanced parsing
- Compliance
Only in ELK Stack
- Full-text search
- Data visualization
- Time-series analytics
Both cover
- Log aggregation
- API
- Webhooks
- REST
- Web support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Graylog Plus
- Centralised log collection, search and analysisnot ELK Stack
- SIEM and threat detection through Graylog Securitynot ELK Stack
- Self-hosting log management on your own infrastructurenot ELK Stack
- API security monitoringnot ELK Stack
- Compliance reporting from retained log datanot ELK Stack
ELK Stack
- Centralised log search and analytics over Elasticsearchnot Graylog Plus
- Dashboards and visualisation of machine data in Kibananot Graylog Plus
- Self managing a search and observability cluster on your own hardwarenot Graylog Plus
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Graylog Plus
- Pricing is not published on the product pages
- Split across several editions, Graylog Open, Enterprise, Security and API Security, so log management and SIEM are separate purchases
- The open edition is source-available rather than fully open source, and the guided setup, prebuilt content and AI assistance are Enterprise features
ELK Stack
- The free Basic self managed subscription excludes machine learning, alerting, single sign on via SAML or OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory authentication, field and document level security, searchable snapshots and cross cluster replication
- Cross cluster operations require the same subscription tier on every cluster involved
- The 99.95 percent monthly uptime SLA applies only to the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers
- Three deployment models are priced on three different bases: resource based for Cloud Hosted, usage based for Serverless and licence based on nodes and RAM for self managed
- Elastic Cloud Serverless does not yet support traffic filtering, cross project search or bring your own key
- The pricing page publishes no rate for any tier
Pricing, plan by plan
Graylog Plus
On request- Starter$undefined/month
- Log aggregation
- SIEM capabilities
- Advanced parsing
ELK Stack
Free- FreeFree
- Full-text search
- Data visualization
- Log aggregation
Which should you pick?
Choose Graylog Plus if
- You need siem capabilities.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want advanced parsing.
Choose ELK Stack if
- You need full-text search.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want data visualization.
Questions people ask
- Is Graylog Plus or ELK Stack better?
- Neither clearly leads. Graylog Plus starts at On request and ELK Stack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Graylog Plus or ELK Stack?
- ELK Stack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Graylog Plus and Free for ELK Stack.
- Does Graylog Plus or ELK Stack run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use ELK Stack for free?
- Yes. ELK Stack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Graylog Plus starts at On request.
- What is Graylog Plus best used for?
- Graylog Plus is most often used for centralised log collection, search and analysis, siem and threat detection through graylog security, self-hosting log management on your own infrastructure, api security monitoring. Of those, centralised log collection, search and analysis and siem and threat detection through graylog security are not what ELK Stack is typically brought in for.
- What can Graylog Plus do that ELK Stack cannot?
- Graylog Plus covers SIEM capabilities, Advanced parsing, Compliance. ELK Stack covers Full-text search, Data visualization, Time-series analytics. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.