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Software · head to head

Papertrail vs CloudWatch

Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Software

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CloudWatch logo

CloudWatch

Software

AWS Monitoring and Observability

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month; CloudWatch the free tier covers 5 GB of log ingestion and 10 custom metrics a month, after which log ingestion is $0.50 per GB from 5 to 30 GB
  • They diverge on capability: Papertrail covers Real-time tail, CloudWatch covers Metrics collection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Papertrail and CloudWatch actually diverge.

Attributes where Papertrail and CloudWatch differ
AttributePapertrailCloudWatch
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Founded20112006

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

  • Real-time tail
  • Saved searches
  • System alerts

Only in CloudWatch

  • Metrics collection
  • Dashboards
  • Alarms and notifications

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.

Papertrail

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

CloudWatch

  • Metrics and log collection for AWS workloadsnot Papertrail
  • Alarming on thresholds across AWS servicesnot Papertrail
  • Querying logs with Logs Insightsnot Papertrail
  • Live tailing logs during an incidentnot Papertrail
  • Distributed tracing alongside X-Raynot 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

CloudWatch

  • The free tier covers 5 GB of log ingestion and 10 custom metrics a month, after which log ingestion is $0.50 per GB from 5 to 30 GB
  • Custom metrics are $0.30 each for the first 10,000, so instrumenting broadly gets expensive before volume discounts apply
  • Each custom dashboard beyond the free three is $3 a month
  • Alarms are billed at $0.10 per alarm metric a month, with high-resolution alarms costing more
  • Log storage beyond the free 5 GB is $0.03 per GB per month on top of the ingestion charge

Pricing, plan by plan

Papertrail

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

CloudWatch

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Metrics collection
    • Log aggregation
    • Dashboards

Which should you pick?

Choose Papertrail if

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

Choose CloudWatch if

  • You need metrics collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want dashboards.
CloudWatch review

Questions people ask

Is Papertrail or CloudWatch better?
Neither clearly leads. Papertrail starts at Free and CloudWatch at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Papertrail or CloudWatch?
Papertrail starts at Free and CloudWatch at Free.
Does Papertrail or CloudWatch 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 CloudWatch is typically brought in for.
What can Papertrail do that CloudWatch cannot?
Papertrail covers Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. CloudWatch covers Metrics collection, Dashboards, Alarms and notifications. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.
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