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Software · head to head

Graylog vs InfluxDB

Graylog logo

Graylog

Software

Log Aggregation and Analysis Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
InfluxDB logo

InfluxDB

Software

Purpose-built time series database for metrics and events

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; InfluxDB high-cardinality data causes memory pressure and performance degradation
  • They diverge on capability: Graylog covers Log aggregation, InfluxDB covers Time-series Storage.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Graylog and InfluxDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Graylog and InfluxDB differ
AttributeGraylogInfluxDB
Pricing modelopen-sourceUnknown
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
Founded20112012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
  • 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.

Graylog

  • Centralising and searching application and infrastructure logsnot InfluxDB
  • Running a SIEM with threat detection and investigation workflowsnot InfluxDB
  • Self-hosting log management without per-GB SaaS billingnot InfluxDB

InfluxDB

  • Monitoringnot Graylog
  • IoT datanot Graylog
  • Financial datanot Graylog
  • Log analyticsnot Graylog
  • Observabilitynot 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

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

Graylog

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Full-text search
    • Parsing and extraction

InfluxDB

Free
  • Cloud Serverless FreeFree
    • 5 MB writes per 5 minutes
    • 300 MB queries per 5 minutes
    • 30 day retention
  • Cloud Serverless Usage-Based$null/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 Graylog if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want full-text search.
Graylog 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 Graylog or InfluxDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Graylog 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, Graylog or InfluxDB?
Graylog starts at Free and InfluxDB at Free.
Does Graylog or InfluxDB run on more platforms?
Graylog runs on Web, Api. InfluxDB runs on Cloud, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure.
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 InfluxDB is typically brought in for.
What can Graylog do that InfluxDB cannot?
Graylog covers Log aggregation, Full-text search, Parsing and extraction, Real-time analytics. InfluxDB covers Time-series Storage, Flux Query Language, High Write Throughput, Data Compression. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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
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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