Software · head to head
Loki vs AppDynamics
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Loki the Grafana Cloud free tier caps log ingestion at 50 GB a month with 14 day retention; AppDynamics appdynamics.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to Splunk's observability pricing page; the product is now sold as Splunk AppDynamics
- They diverge on capability: Loki covers Log aggregation, AppDynamics covers Application performance monitoring.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Loki and AppDynamics actually diverge.
| Attribute | Loki | AppDynamics |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | usage-based |
| Founded | 2014 | 2008 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Loki
- Log aggregation
- Label-based indexing
- Real-time log streaming
- LogQL query language
Only in AppDynamics
- Application performance monitoring
- Distributed tracing
- Real-time analytics
- Alert management
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.
Loki
- Aggregating application and infrastructure logs with label based indexingnot AppDynamics
- Querying logs alongside metrics in Grafananot AppDynamics
AppDynamics
- Application performance monitoring for Java, .NET and other enterprise application stacksnot Loki
- Business transaction tracing across distributed application tiersnot Loki
- Infrastructure monitoring priced per vCPUnot Loki
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Loki
- The Grafana Cloud free tier caps log ingestion at 50 GB a month with 14 day retention
- Paid log pricing is split across three separate meters, at $0.050 per GB processed, $0.400 per GB written and $0.100 per GB retained
- Retaining logs is billed separately from ingesting them, so keeping data costs on an ongoing basis rather than once
- The Pro plan carries a $19 a month platform fee before any usage charges
AppDynamics
- appdynamics.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to Splunk's observability pricing page; the product is now sold as Splunk AppDynamics
- Infrastructure Edition starts at $6 per vCPU per month billed annually, so cost scales with core count rather than host count
- Premium Edition starts at $33 per host per month and Enterprise Edition at $50 per host per month, both billed annually
- The published figures are starting prices only, with volume pricing requiring a sales quote
Pricing, plan by plan
Loki
Free- FreeFree
- Log aggregation
- Label-based indexing
- Real-time log streaming
AppDynamics
Free- FreeFree
- Application performance monitoring
- Distributed tracing
- Real-time analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Loki if
- You need log aggregation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want label-based indexing.
Choose AppDynamics if
- You need application performance monitoring.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want distributed tracing.
Questions people ask
- Is Loki or AppDynamics better?
- Neither clearly leads. Loki starts at Free and AppDynamics at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Loki or AppDynamics?
- Loki starts at Free and AppDynamics at Free.
- Does Loki or AppDynamics run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Loki for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Loki best used for?
- Loki is most often used for aggregating application and infrastructure logs with label based indexing, querying logs alongside metrics in grafana. Of those, aggregating application and infrastructure logs with label based indexing and querying logs alongside metrics in grafana are not what AppDynamics is typically brought in for.
- What can Loki do that AppDynamics cannot?
- Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, Real-time log streaming, LogQL query language. AppDynamics covers Application performance monitoring, Distributed tracing, Real-time analytics, Alert management. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.