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Papertrail vs Bugsnag

Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Software

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bugsnag logo

Bugsnag

Software

Application Stability Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month; Bugsnag owned by SmartBear rather than being independent
  • They diverge on capability: Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Bugsnag covers Error tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Papertrail and Bugsnag actually diverge.

Attributes where Papertrail and Bugsnag differ
AttributePapertrailBugsnag
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Founded20112012

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 Papertrail

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

Only in Bugsnag

  • Error tracking
  • Crash reporting
  • Release tracking
  • Trend analysis

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.

Papertrail

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

Bugsnag

  • Crash and error reporting for mobile and web applicationsnot Papertrail
  • Stability scores per releasenot Papertrail
  • Grouping errors by root cause across deploysnot Papertrail
  • Alerting when a release regressesnot Papertrail

Where each one falls short

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

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

Bugsnag

  • Owned by SmartBear rather than being independent
  • The free tier covers 7,500 events a month
  • Paid tiers are usage-priced by event volume rather than by seat, so a noisy release raises the bill
  • Enterprise pricing is quote-only

Pricing, plan by plan

Papertrail

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

Bugsnag

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Error tracking
    • Crash reporting
    • Release tracking

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Bugsnag if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want crash reporting.
Bugsnag review

Questions people ask

Is Papertrail or Bugsnag better?
Neither clearly leads. Papertrail starts at Free and Bugsnag at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Papertrail or Bugsnag?
Papertrail starts at Free and Bugsnag at Free.
Does Papertrail or Bugsnag run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Papertrail for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Papertrail best used for?
Papertrail is most often used for aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable stream, tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidents, long-term log archiving to amazon s3 for later analysis. Of those, aggregating syslog and application logs from many hosts into one searchable stream and tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidents are not what Bugsnag is typically brought in for.
What can Papertrail do that Bugsnag cannot?
Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. Bugsnag covers Error tracking, Crash reporting, Release tracking, Trend analysis. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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