Log Management · head to head
Graylog Plus vs Fluent Bit
The short version
- Only Fluent Bit 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; Fluent Bit fluent Bit ships over 100 built in plugins against more than 1,000 external plugins available for Fluentd, so fewer integrations exist out of the box
- They diverge on capability: Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation, Fluent Bit covers Log collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Graylog Plus and Fluent Bit actually diverge.
| Attribute | Graylog Plus | Fluent Bit |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2011 | 2015 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), 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 Graylog Plus
- Log aggregation
- SIEM capabilities
- Advanced parsing
- Compliance
Only in Fluent Bit
- Log collection
- Lightweight processing
- Data parsing
- Event filtering
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.
Graylog Plus
- Centralised log collection, search and analysisnot Fluent Bit
- SIEM and threat detection through Graylog Securitynot Fluent Bit
- Self-hosting log management on your own infrastructurenot Fluent Bit
- API security monitoringnot Fluent Bit
- Compliance reporting from retained log datanot Fluent Bit
Fluent Bit
- Lightweight log and metric forwarding from containers and edge devicesnot Graylog Plus
- Kubernetes node level log collection with a small memory footprintnot Graylog Plus
- Filtering and enriching telemetry before shipping it to a backendnot 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
Fluent Bit
- Fluent Bit ships over 100 built in plugins against more than 1,000 external plugins available for Fluentd, so fewer integrations exist out of the box
- It is written in C, so extending it beyond the built in plugins means writing C rather than Ruby
- Dependencies are zero only until a plugin requires one
Pricing, plan by plan
Graylog Plus
On request- Starter$undefined/month
- Log aggregation
- SIEM capabilities
- Advanced parsing
Fluent Bit
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Lightweight processing
- Data parsing
Which should you pick?
Choose Graylog Plus if
- You need log aggregation.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want siem capabilities.
Choose Fluent Bit if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want lightweight processing.
Questions people ask
- Is Graylog Plus or Fluent Bit better?
- Neither clearly leads. Graylog Plus starts at On request and Fluent Bit at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Graylog Plus or Fluent Bit?
- Fluent Bit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Graylog Plus and Free for Fluent Bit.
- Does Graylog Plus or Fluent Bit run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Fluent Bit for free?
- Yes. Fluent Bit 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 Fluent Bit is typically brought in for.
- What can Graylog Plus do that Fluent Bit cannot?
- Graylog Plus covers Log aggregation, SIEM capabilities, Advanced parsing, Compliance. Fluent Bit covers Log collection, Lightweight processing, Data parsing, Event filtering. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.