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Papertrail vs Fluentd

Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Software

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fluentd logo

Fluentd

Software

Open Source Data Collector for Unified Logging

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month; Fluentd fluentd needs more than 60 MB of memory at runtime, against roughly 450 KB for Fluent Bit
  • They diverge on capability: Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Fluentd covers Log collection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Papertrail and Fluentd actually diverge.

Attributes where Papertrail and Fluentd differ
AttributePapertrailFluentd
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2011).

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 Fluentd

  • Log collection
  • Data parsing
  • Filtering and buffering
  • Event routing

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 Fluentd
  • Tail-and-search style troubleshooting during incidentsnot Fluentd
  • Long-term log archiving to Amazon S3 for later analysisnot Fluentd

Fluentd

  • Unified log collection and routing from many sources to many destinationsnot Papertrail
  • Parsing and transforming log records before forwardingnot Papertrail
  • Aggregating logs from containers into Elasticsearch, S3 or a SIEMnot 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

Fluentd

  • Fluentd needs more than 60 MB of memory at runtime, against roughly 450 KB for Fluent Bit
  • Fluentd is built as a Ruby gem and depends on other gems, so a Ruby runtime is required
  • Its capability comes from over 1,000 external plugins rather than built in functionality, so each added input or output is a separate dependency
  • The Fluent Bit documentation states that cloud providers have switched from Fluentd to Fluent Bit for performance and compatibility and calls Fluent Bit the next generation solution

Pricing, plan by plan

Papertrail

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

Fluentd

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Data parsing
    • Filtering and buffering

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 Fluentd if

  • You need log collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want data parsing.
Fluentd review

Questions people ask

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