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Logging · head to head

Dynatrace Logs vs Kibana

Dynatrace Logs logo

Dynatrace Logs

Logging

Intelligent Log Analytics and Management

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: Dynatrace Logs log ingest and processing is billed at $0.20 per GiB, separately from retention and from query; Kibana requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool
  • They diverge on capability: Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, Kibana covers Data visualization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dynatrace Logs and Kibana actually diverge.

Attributes where Dynatrace Logs and Kibana differ
AttributeDynatrace LogsKibana
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Founded20052011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging).

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 Dynatrace Logs

  • Log analysis
  • AI-powered insights
  • Metrics integration
  • Automated root cause

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.

Dynatrace Logs

  • Ingesting and processing application and infrastructure logsnot Kibana
  • Querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platformnot Kibana
  • Log driven alerting within an existing Dynatrace deploymentnot Kibana

Kibana

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

Where each one falls short

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

Dynatrace Logs

  • Log ingest and processing is billed at $0.20 per GiB, separately from retention and from query
  • Querying logs is charged in addition to ingest, either pay per query or as bundled queries
  • Log analytics requires the same annual platform commitment as the rest of the Dynatrace platform

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

Dynatrace Logs

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log analysis
    • AI-powered insights
    • Metrics integration

Kibana

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Dynatrace Logs if

  • You need log analysis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want ai-powered insights.
Dynatrace Logs 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 Dynatrace Logs or Kibana better?
Neither clearly leads. Dynatrace Logs 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, Dynatrace Logs or Kibana?
Dynatrace Logs starts at Free and Kibana at Free.
Does Dynatrace Logs or Kibana run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Dynatrace Logs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Dynatrace Logs best used for?
Dynatrace Logs is most often used for ingesting and processing application and infrastructure logs, querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platform, log driven alerting within an existing dynatrace deployment. Of those, ingesting and processing application and infrastructure logs and querying logs alongside traces and metrics in one platform are not what Kibana is typically brought in for.
What can Dynatrace Logs do that Kibana cannot?
Dynatrace Logs covers Log analysis, AI-powered insights, Metrics integration, Automated root cause. Kibana covers Data visualization, Dashboard creation, Log discovery, Alerting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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