Log Management · head to head
Kibana vs Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
Log Management
Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Kibana requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool; 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: Kibana covers Data visualization, Azure Monitor covers Log collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Kibana and Azure Monitor actually diverge.
| Attribute | Kibana | 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 (Log Management).
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 Kibana
- Data visualization
- Dashboard creation
- Log discovery
- Alerting
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.
Kibana
- Querying and visualising data held in Elasticsearchnot Azure Monitor
- Dashboards over log and metric datanot Azure Monitor
- Anomaly detection with machine learning jobsnot Azure Monitor
- Geospatial analysis on indexed location datanot Azure Monitor
- Alerting on query thresholdsnot Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
- Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Kibana
- Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Kibana
- Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Kibana
- Long-term log retention for compliancenot Kibana
- Querying operational data with KQLnot Kibana
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Kibana
Free- FreeFree
- Data visualization
- Dashboard creation
- Log discovery
Azure Monitor
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
Which should you pick?
Choose Kibana if
- You need data visualization.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want dashboard creation.
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 Kibana or Azure Monitor better?
- Neither clearly leads. Kibana 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, Kibana or Azure Monitor?
- Kibana starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free.
- Does Kibana 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 Kibana for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Kibana best used for?
- Kibana is most often used for querying and visualising data held in elasticsearch, dashboards over log and metric data, anomaly detection with machine learning jobs, geospatial analysis on indexed location data. Of those, querying and visualising data held in elasticsearch and dashboards over log and metric data are not what Azure Monitor is typically brought in for.
- What can Kibana do that Azure Monitor cannot?
- Kibana covers Data visualization, Dashboard creation, Log discovery, Alerting. Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.