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Software · head to head

InfluxDB vs Sumo Logic

InfluxDB logo

InfluxDB

Software

Purpose-built time series database for metrics and events

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sumo Logic logo

Sumo Logic

Software

Cloud Monitoring, Logging, and Security Analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: InfluxDB high-cardinality data causes memory pressure and performance degradation; Sumo Logic neither the Essentials nor the Enterprise Suite package lists a price on the pricing page; both link to Contact Sales
  • They diverge on capability: InfluxDB covers Time-series Storage, Sumo Logic covers Log aggregation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which InfluxDB and Sumo Logic actually diverge.

Attributes where InfluxDB and Sumo Logic differ
AttributeInfluxDBSumo Logic
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsCloud, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud, AzureWeb, Api
Founded20122010

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 InfluxDB

  • Time-series Storage
  • Flux Query Language
  • High Write Throughput
  • Data Compression
  • Retention Policies
  • Continuous Queries
  • Built-in Dashboards
  • Telegraf

Only in Sumo Logic

  • Log aggregation
  • Metrics collection
  • Real-time analytics
  • Custom dashboards
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Api support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

InfluxDB

  • Monitoringnot Sumo Logic
  • IoT datanot Sumo Logic
  • Financial datanot Sumo Logic
  • Log analyticsnot Sumo Logic
  • Observabilitynot Sumo Logic

Sumo Logic

  • Cloud-native log analytics across applications and infrastructurenot InfluxDB
  • Running a SIEM with MITRE ATT&CK mapped detections and UEBAnot InfluxDB
  • Compliance and audit readiness reporting from log datanot InfluxDB

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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

Sumo Logic

  • Neither the Essentials nor the Enterprise Suite package lists a price on the pricing page; both link to Contact Sales
  • Quoted per GB figures assume an annual commitment, an average of 1 GB of log ingest per day and a US deployment region
  • Pricing varies by the AWS deployment region chosen, so the same volume costs differently in Dublin, Frankfurt, Sydney or Tokyo
  • Flex pricing bills per TB scanned rather than per GB ingested, so query activity drives the bill
  • Feature activation is subject to minimum volume, minimum user counts and service requirements confirmed at the time of the transaction
  • The API is limited to four calls per section, ten concurrent in-flight requests, and query processing times out after two minutes
  • Self-serve credit card purchase is capped at $25,000; larger purchases must go through sales or a reseller

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Sumo Logic

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Metrics collection
    • Real-time analytics

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Sumo Logic if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics collection.
Sumo Logic review

Questions people ask

Is InfluxDB or Sumo Logic better?
Neither clearly leads. InfluxDB starts at Free and Sumo Logic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, InfluxDB or Sumo Logic?
InfluxDB starts at Free and Sumo Logic at Free.
Does InfluxDB or Sumo Logic run on more platforms?
InfluxDB runs on Cloud, Docker, Linux, macOS, Windows, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure. Sumo Logic runs on Web, Api.
Can I use InfluxDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is InfluxDB best used for?
InfluxDB is most often used for monitoring, iot data, financial data, log analytics. Of those, monitoring and iot data are not what Sumo Logic is typically brought in for.
What can InfluxDB do that Sumo Logic cannot?
InfluxDB covers Time-series Storage, Flux Query Language, High Write Throughput, Data Compression. Sumo Logic covers Log aggregation, Metrics collection, Real-time analytics, Custom dashboards. 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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