Softwr

Software · head to head

Loki vs Elastic

Loki logo

Loki

Software

Like Prometheus but for Logs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
E

Elastic

Software

Search AI powered by Elasticsearch

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Loki has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Loki the Grafana Cloud free tier caps log ingestion at 50 GB a month with 14 day retention; Elastic the 99.95% monthly uptime SLA is only offered on the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers of Hosted deployments, not on lower tiers, per elastic.co, August 2026

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loki and Elastic actually diverge.

Attributes where Loki and Elastic differ
AttributeLokiElastic
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourceUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: 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
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Elastic

Nothing recorded that Loki does not also cover.

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 Elastic
  • Querying logs alongside metrics in Grafananot Elastic

Elastic

No use cases recorded yet. See the Elastic review.

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

Elastic

  • The 99.95% monthly uptime SLA is only offered on the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers of Hosted deployments, not on lower tiers, per elastic.co, August 2026

Pricing, plan by plan

Loki

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Label-based indexing
    • Real-time log streaming

Elastic

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic review.

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.
Loki review

Choose Elastic if

Nothing in the data separates Elastic from Loki on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Elastic review

Questions people ask

Is Loki or Elastic better?
Neither clearly leads. Loki starts at Free and Elastic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loki or Elastic?
Loki has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Loki and On request for Elastic.
Does Loki or Elastic run on more platforms?
Loki runs on Web, Api. Elastic runs on Web.
Can I use Loki for free?
Yes. Loki has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Elastic starts at On request.
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 Elastic is typically brought in for.
What can Loki do that Elastic cannot?
Loki covers Log aggregation, Label-based indexing, Real-time log streaming, LogQL query language.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Loki

More on Elastic

Keep looking

Other head to heads