Software · head to head
Graylog vs Azure Monitor
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Graylog graylog Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year and Graylog Security at $18,000 per year, priced by daily volume or annual consumption; Azure Monitor billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
- They diverge on capability: Graylog covers Log aggregation, Azure Monitor covers Log collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Graylog and Azure Monitor actually diverge.
| Attribute | Graylog | Azure Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | usage-based |
| Founded | 2011 | 2010 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Log aggregation
- Full-text search
- Parsing and extraction
- Real-time analytics
Only in Azure Monitor
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
- Custom dashboards
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
- Centralising and searching application and infrastructure logsnot Azure Monitor
- Running a SIEM with threat detection and investigation workflowsnot Azure Monitor
- Self-hosting log management without per-GB SaaS billingnot Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
- Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Graylog
- Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Graylog
- Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Graylog
- Long-term log retention for compliancenot Graylog
- Querying operational data with KQLnot Graylog
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Graylog
- Graylog Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year and Graylog Security at $18,000 per year, priced by daily volume or annual consumption
- Correlation engine, scheduled and custom reports, compliance reports and teams management are Enterprise-only
- Data tiering across hot, warm and archive storage is an Enterprise feature, not available in Graylog Open
- Graylog Open carries community support only; professional support requires a paid edition
- UEBA anomaly detection, Sigma rules, MITRE ATT&CK alignment and SOAR automation are limited to Graylog Security
Azure Monitor
- Billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
- Only the first 5 GB a month of Analytics logs is free per billing account
- Retention beyond the base period is charged per GB per month, up to 2 years interactive and 12 years long term
- Log queries and search jobs are billed per GB scanned, so investigating an incident costs money
- Alert rules are billed per time series for metrics and by execution frequency for logs
- The pricing page shows placeholders rather than rates until a region and currency are chosen
Pricing, plan by plan
Graylog
Free- FreeFree
- Log aggregation
- Full-text search
- Parsing and extraction
Azure Monitor
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
Which should you pick?
Choose Graylog if
- You need log aggregation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want full-text search.
Choose Azure Monitor if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want metrics collection.
Questions people ask
- Is Graylog or Azure Monitor better?
- Neither clearly leads. Graylog starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Graylog or Azure Monitor?
- Graylog starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free.
- Does Graylog or Azure Monitor run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Graylog for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Graylog best used for?
- Graylog is most often used for centralising and searching application and infrastructure logs, running a siem with threat detection and investigation workflows, self-hosting log management without per-gb saas billing. Of those, centralising and searching application and infrastructure logs and running a siem with threat detection and investigation workflows are not what Azure Monitor is typically brought in for.
- What can Graylog do that Azure Monitor cannot?
- Graylog covers Log aggregation, Full-text search, Parsing and extraction, Real-time analytics. Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.