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Logging · head to head

New Relic Logs vs Papertrail

New Relic Logs logo

New Relic Logs

Logging

Log Management and Analysis

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Logging

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: New Relic Logs log data counts against the same 100 GB monthly free ingest allowance shared with every other telemetry type, so logs compete with metrics and traces for it; Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month
  • They diverge on capability: New Relic Logs covers Log ingestion, Papertrail covers Log aggregation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which New Relic Logs and Papertrail actually diverge.

Attributes where New Relic Logs and Papertrail differ
AttributeNew Relic LogsPapertrail
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Founded20082011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 New Relic Logs

  • Log ingestion
  • Full-text search
  • Logs-in-context
  • Custom dashboards

Only in Papertrail

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time tail
  • Saved searches
  • System alerts

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.

New Relic Logs

  • Centralised log management alongside metrics and tracesnot Papertrail
  • Searching and alerting on application logs in context with performance datanot Papertrail

Papertrail

  • Aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable streamnot New Relic Logs
  • Tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidentsnot New Relic Logs
  • Long-term log archiving to Amazon S3 for later analysisnot New Relic Logs

Where each one falls short

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

New Relic Logs

  • Log data counts against the same 100 GB monthly free ingest allowance shared with every other telemetry type, so logs compete with metrics and traces for it
  • Ingest beyond that is $0.40 per GB, rising to $0.60 per GB on the Data Plus option
  • Full platform users cost $349 each a month on Pro with an annual commitment, or $418.80 paying monthly
  • The Standard edition caps additional full platform users at 5
  • Core users are $49 a month each even though basic users are free

Papertrail

  • Log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month
  • Usage beyond the plan volume is billed at a 30% higher price per GB and is capped at 200% extra
  • Transferred volume is measured as message length plus 50 bytes of metadata per message, so metadata counts against the quota

Pricing, plan by plan

New Relic Logs

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 100 GB per month data ingest
    • Unlimited basic users
    • 1 full platform user
  • Standard Edition$49/month
    • Up to 5 full platform users
    • Core users 49 dollars per user per month
    • Additional full platform users at 99 dollars each
  • Pro Edition$349/year
    • Unlimited full platform users
    • Core users at 49 dollars per user per month
    • Full platform users at 349 dollars per user annually or 418.80 dollars monthly
  • Enterprise Edition$null/mo
    • Unlimited full platform users
    • Custom pricing
    • FedRAMP and HIPAA support

Papertrail

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • Real-time tail
    • Saved searches

Which should you pick?

Choose New Relic Logs if

  • You need log ingestion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want full-text search.
New Relic Logs review

Choose Papertrail if

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

Questions people ask

Is New Relic Logs or Papertrail better?
Neither clearly leads. New Relic Logs starts at Free and Papertrail at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, New Relic Logs or Papertrail?
New Relic Logs starts at Free and Papertrail at Free.
Does New Relic Logs or Papertrail run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use New Relic Logs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is New Relic Logs best used for?
New Relic Logs is most often used for centralised log management alongside metrics and traces, searching and alerting on application logs in context with performance data. Of those, centralised log management alongside metrics and traces and searching and alerting on application logs in context with performance data are not what Papertrail is typically brought in for.
What can New Relic Logs do that Papertrail cannot?
New Relic Logs covers Log ingestion, Full-text search, Logs-in-context, Custom dashboards. Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

New Relic Logs: Is New Relic free?

New Relic offers a free tier with 100 GB per month of data ingest, 1 full platform user, and unlimited basic users.

Source
New Relic Logs: What does New Relic charge for data beyond the free tier?

New Relic charges 0.40 dollars per gigabyte for data beyond the 100 GB free monthly allowance. Data Plus tier costs 0.60 dollars per GB and includes up to 90-day extended retention.

Source
New Relic Logs: What is the Pro plan pricing?

The Pro Edition costs 349 dollars per user per year for full platform users, or 418.80 dollars per month. Unlimited full platform users are included.

Source
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