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Logging · head to head

Loggly vs Sematext

Loggly logo

Loggly

Logging

Cloud-Based Log Management and Analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sematext logo

Sematext

Logging

Full Stack Observability Platform

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; Sematext the $5 Basic plan caps ingestion at 500 MB a day and retains logs for 7 days
  • They diverge on capability: Loggly covers Real-time search, Sematext covers APM.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loggly and Sematext actually diverge.

Attributes where Loggly and Sematext differ
AttributeLogglySematext
Founded20092007

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), 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 Loggly

  • Real-time search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Alert management

Only in Sematext

  • APM
  • Metrics monitoring
  • Anomaly detection

Both cover

  • Log aggregation
  • 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 Sematext
  • Alerting on log patterns via email, webhook, PagerDuty or Slacknot Sematext
  • Log analysis alongside SolarWinds infrastructure and application monitoringnot Sematext

Sematext

  • Centralised log management and search across servicesnot Loggly
  • Infrastructure and application monitoring alongside logsnot 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

Sematext

  • The $5 Basic plan caps ingestion at 500 MB a day and retains logs for 7 days
  • Ingestion and storage are billed on separate meters, at $0.10 per GB received and $0.15 per GB stored
  • Retention is a plan property rather than a setting, so keeping logs longer means moving tier
  • The published pricing page renders Standard and Pro figures from unresolved template placeholders, so only the Basic numbers are actually readable

Pricing, plan by plan

Loggly

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

Sematext

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • APM
    • Metrics monitoring

Which should you pick?

Choose Loggly if

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

Choose Sematext if

  • You need apm.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want metrics monitoring.
Sematext review

Questions people ask

Is Loggly or Sematext better?
Neither clearly leads. Loggly starts at Free and Sematext at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loggly or Sematext?
Loggly starts at Free and Sematext at Free.
Does Loggly or Sematext run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Sematext is typically brought in for.
What can Loggly do that Sematext cannot?
Loggly covers Real-time search, Custom dashboards, Alert management. Sematext covers APM, Metrics monitoring, Anomaly detection. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sematext: How much does Sematext cost?

Sematext uses a transparent usage-based pricing model. Customers can set a Max Daily Volume for automatic rejection of excess data to prevent unexpected charges and keep costs predictable. Specific tier pricing is available through their cost calculator tool.

Source
Sematext: How does Sematext's pricing compare to competitors?

Sematext is positioned as +3x cheaper than Datadog, with potential annual savings of $800,000 for customers logging more than 200TB/month and a reported 75% decrease in price per GB compared to alternatives.

Source
Sematext: Does Sematext offer a free trial?

Yes, Sematext offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, allowing you to test the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Source
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