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Logging · head to head

Graylog vs Kibana

Graylog logo

Graylog

Logging

Log Aggregation and Analysis Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kibana logo

Kibana

Logging

Visualize Your Elasticsearch Data

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; Kibana requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool
  • They diverge on capability: Graylog covers Log aggregation, Kibana covers Data visualization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Graylog and Kibana actually diverge.

Attributes where Graylog and Kibana differ
AttributeGraylogKibana

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging), 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

  • Log aggregation
  • Full-text search
  • Parsing and extraction
  • Real-time analytics

Only in Kibana

  • Data visualization
  • Dashboard creation
  • Log discovery
  • Alerting

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

  • Log aggregation and analysis for SecOps teamsnot Kibana
  • IT and DevOps monitoring and troubleshootingnot Kibana
  • Enterprise security event monitoringnot Kibana

Kibana

  • Querying and visualising data held in Elasticsearchnot Graylog
  • Dashboards over log and metric datanot Graylog
  • Anomaly detection with machine learning jobsnot Graylog
  • Geospatial analysis on indexed location datanot Graylog
  • Alerting on query thresholdsnot 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

Kibana

  • Requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool
  • Self-managed means running and scaling the Elastic stack yourself
  • Cost is not Kibana's own; it follows whichever Elastic deployment sits underneath

Pricing, plan by plan

Graylog

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

Kibana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Data visualization
    • Dashboard creation
    • Log discovery

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 Kibana if

  • You need data visualization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want dashboard creation.
Kibana review

Questions people ask

Is Graylog or Kibana better?
Neither clearly leads. Graylog starts at Free and Kibana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Graylog or Kibana?
Graylog starts at Free and Kibana at Free.
Does Graylog or Kibana 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 log aggregation and analysis for secops teams, it and devops monitoring and troubleshooting, enterprise security event monitoring. Of those, log aggregation and analysis for secops teams and it and devops monitoring and troubleshooting are not what Kibana is typically brought in for.
What can Graylog do that Kibana cannot?
Graylog covers Log aggregation, Full-text search, Parsing and extraction, Real-time analytics. Kibana covers Data visualization, Dashboard creation, Log discovery, Alerting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Graylog: Does Graylog have a free version?

Yes. Graylog Open is a free, open-source option for collecting, storing, searching, and analyzing log data. However, it includes only community support.

Source
Kibana: Is Kibana available for free?

Kibana is offered with a free trial across all deployment models (Elastic Cloud Serverless, Hosted, and self-managed). Kibana is a component of the Elastic product suite and is not priced separately.

Source
Graylog: How much does Graylog Enterprise cost?

Graylog Enterprise pricing starts at $15,000/year based on daily log volume or annual data consumption. Exact pricing requires contacting sales.

Source
Kibana: How is Kibana priced?

Kibana pricing is bundled with Elasticsearch or other Elastic products. Pricing varies by deployment model: Elastic Cloud Serverless uses usage-based pricing, Hosted uses resource-based pricing, and self-managed is free to download.

Source
Graylog: What is the difference between Graylog Enterprise and Security editions?

Graylog Security starts at $18,000/year and includes advanced threat detection capabilities beyond the Enterprise edition. Both include technical support.

Source
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