Softwr

Logging · head to head

Graylog vs Papertrail

Graylog logo

Graylog

Logging

Log Aggregation and Analysis Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Logging

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

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; Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month
  • They diverge on capability: Graylog covers Full-text search, Papertrail covers Real-time tail.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Graylog and Papertrail actually diverge.

Attributes where Graylog and Papertrail differ
AttributeGraylogPapertrail
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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

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

Only in Papertrail

  • Real-time tail
  • Saved searches
  • System alerts

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

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

Papertrail

  • Aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable streamnot Graylog
  • Tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidentsnot Graylog
  • Long-term log archiving to Amazon S3 for later analysisnot 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

Papertrail

  • Log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month
  • Usage beyond the plan volume is billed at a 30% higher price per GB and is capped at 200% extra
  • Transferred volume is measured as message length plus 50 bytes of metadata per message, so metadata counts against the quota

Pricing, plan by plan

Graylog

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

Papertrail

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time tail
    • Saved searches

Which should you pick?

Choose Graylog if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want parsing and extraction.
Graylog review

Choose Papertrail if

  • You need real-time tail.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want saved searches.
Papertrail review

Questions people ask

Is Graylog or Papertrail better?
Neither clearly leads. Graylog starts at Free and Papertrail at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Graylog or Papertrail?
Graylog starts at Free and Papertrail at Free.
Does Graylog or Papertrail 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 Papertrail is typically brought in for.
What can Graylog do that Papertrail cannot?
Graylog covers Full-text search, Parsing and extraction, Real-time analytics. Papertrail covers Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.

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
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
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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