Softwr

Log Management · head to head

Kibana vs Elasticsearch Service

Kibana logo

Kibana

Log Management

Visualize Your Elasticsearch Data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Elasticsearch Service logo

Elasticsearch Service

Log Management

Managed Elasticsearch Cloud Service

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Elasticsearch Service the 99.95 percent monthly uptime SLA applies only to the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers
  • They diverge on capability: Kibana covers Data visualization, Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kibana and Elasticsearch Service actually diverge.

Attributes where Kibana and Elasticsearch Service differ
AttributeKibanaElasticsearch Service
Pricing modelopen-sourceusage-based

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

  • Data visualization
  • Dashboard creation
  • Log discovery
  • Alerting

Only in Elasticsearch Service

  • Full-text search
  • Scalability
  • High availability
  • Security

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 Elasticsearch Service
  • Dashboards over log and metric datanot Elasticsearch Service
  • Anomaly detection with machine learning jobsnot Elasticsearch Service
  • Geospatial analysis on indexed location datanot Elasticsearch Service
  • Alerting on query thresholdsnot Elasticsearch Service

Elasticsearch Service

  • Managed Elasticsearch without running the clusternot Kibana
  • Log and observability data storage and searchnot Kibana
  • Full-text search behind an applicationnot Kibana
  • Deployments needing a specific cloud region across AWS, Azure or GCPnot 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

Elasticsearch Service

  • The 99.95 percent monthly uptime SLA applies only to the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers
  • Serverless does not yet support traffic filtering, cross-project search or bring-your-own-key encryption
  • Serverless runs on AWS, GCP and Azure only, against 60 regions for the hosted option
  • Per-unit prices are not published; hosted is resource-based and serverless usage-based

Pricing, plan by plan

Kibana

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

Elasticsearch Service

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full-text search
    • Scalability
    • High availability

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.
Kibana review

Choose Elasticsearch Service if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want scalability.
Elasticsearch Service review

Questions people ask

Is Kibana or Elasticsearch Service better?
Neither clearly leads. Kibana starts at Free and Elasticsearch Service at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kibana or Elasticsearch Service?
Kibana starts at Free and Elasticsearch Service at Free.
Does Kibana or Elasticsearch Service 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 Elasticsearch Service is typically brought in for.
What can Kibana do that Elasticsearch Service cannot?
Kibana covers Data visualization, Dashboard creation, Log discovery, Alerting. Elasticsearch Service covers Full-text search, Scalability, High availability, Security. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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