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Logging · head to head

Loggly vs Retrace

Loggly logo

Loggly

Logging

Cloud-Based Log Management and Analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Retrace logo

Retrace

Logging

Application Performance Monitoring and Logs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Loggly the free Lite plan caps ingest at 200 MB per day with 7 day retention; Retrace end of Life scheduled for March 31, 2027; the product is being discontinued
  • They diverge on capability: Loggly covers Log aggregation, Retrace covers Log management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loggly and Retrace actually diverge.

Attributes where Loggly and Retrace differ
AttributeLogglyRetrace
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python
Founded20092012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Loggly

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Alert management

Only in Retrace

  • Log management
  • Application performance tracking
  • Error detection
  • Code profiling
  • Performance baselines

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.

Loggly

  • Cloud-hosted log aggregation for small and mid-sized engineering teamsnot Retrace
  • Alerting on log patterns via email, webhook, PagerDuty or Slacknot Retrace
  • Log analysis alongside SolarWinds infrastructure and application monitoringnot Retrace

Retrace

  • Log monitoringnot Loggly
  • Application performancenot Loggly
  • Security analyticsnot Loggly
  • Troubleshootingnot Loggly

Where each one falls short

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

Loggly

  • The free Lite plan caps ingest at 200 MB per day with 7 day retention
  • API access and archiving to Amazon S3 start on the Pro plan at $159 per month billed annually
  • Federated identity management is an Enterprise feature, starting at $279 per month billed annually
  • The Standard plan at $79 per month is limited to 1 GB per day and 3 source groups
  • Maximum retention is 90 days and only on Enterprise; Standard is fixed at 15 days

Retrace

  • End of Life scheduled for March 31, 2027; the product is being discontinued
  • Costs escalate quickly with per-server billing model, expensive at scale
  • User interface and dashboard criticisms; UI is outdated and difficult to use
  • Logging latency; logs can take time to appear and are not instant
  • Less mature support for Node.js, Python, and newer ecosystems
  • Reporting issues where process restarts provide only timeline without root cause data
  • Reliability concerns; monitoring has stopped collecting traces with no warning

Pricing, plan by plan

Loggly

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time search
    • Custom dashboards

Retrace

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log management
    • Application performance tracking
    • Error detection

Which should you pick?

Choose Loggly if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time search.
Loggly review

Choose Retrace if

  • You need log management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python.
  • You also want application performance tracking.
Retrace review

Questions people ask

Is Loggly or Retrace better?
Neither clearly leads. Loggly starts at Free and Retrace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loggly or Retrace?
Loggly starts at Free and Retrace at Free.
Does Loggly or Retrace run on more platforms?
Loggly runs on Web, Api. Retrace runs on Web, .NET, Java, PHP, Node.js, Python.
Can I use Loggly for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Loggly best used for?
Loggly is most often used for cloud-hosted log aggregation for small and mid-sized engineering teams, alerting on log patterns via email, webhook, pagerduty or slack, log analysis alongside solarwinds infrastructure and application monitoring. Of those, cloud-hosted log aggregation for small and mid-sized engineering teams and alerting on log patterns via email, webhook, pagerduty or slack are not what Retrace is typically brought in for.
What can Loggly do that Retrace cannot?
Loggly covers Log aggregation, Real-time search, Custom dashboards, Alert management. Retrace covers Log management, Application performance tracking, Error detection, Code profiling. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Retrace: What does Retrace monitor?

Retrace provides application performance monitoring (APM), centralized log management, error tracking, code profiling, and real user monitoring (RUM). It aggregates logs from applications and servers in one place.

Source
Retrace: What programming languages does Retrace support?

Retrace supports .NET, .NET Core, PHP, Node.js, Ruby, Python, and Java applications. Support for Node.js, Python, and newer ecosystems is noted as less mature.

Source
Retrace: Is Retrace being discontinued?

Yes. Retrace will reach End of Life on March 31, 2027. Users should plan to migrate to alternative solutions.

Source
Retrace: What databases and services does Retrace integrate with?

Retrace supports SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, and cloud platforms like AWS and Azure.

Source
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