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Papertrail vs Grafana Loki

Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Software

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grafana Loki logo

Grafana Loki

Software

Log Aggregation for Grafana Stack

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month; Grafana Loki grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
  • They diverge on capability: Papertrail covers Real-time tail, Grafana Loki covers Label-based indexing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Papertrail and Grafana Loki actually diverge.

Attributes where Papertrail and Grafana Loki differ
AttributePapertrailGrafana Loki
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, ApiSelf-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support)
Founded20112014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Grafana Loki

  • Label-based indexing
  • LogQL language
  • Cost-effective

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

Grafana Loki

  • Cost-sensitive organisations deploying Kubernetes and Prometheus ecosystemsnot Papertrail
  • Teams needing index-free log aggregation for high-volume environmentsnot 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

Grafana Loki

  • Grafana Cloud Logs Pro plan includes only 30-day retention; retention beyond 30 days requires Enterprise plan with minimum $25,000 annual commitment
  • Open-source version requires self-hosting all infrastructure including storage and scaling

Pricing, plan by plan

Papertrail

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

Grafana Loki

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Grafana Loki review.

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 Grafana Loki if

  • You need label-based indexing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
  • You also want logql language.
Grafana Loki review

Questions people ask

Is Papertrail or Grafana Loki better?
Neither clearly leads. Papertrail starts at Free and Grafana Loki at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Papertrail or Grafana Loki?
Papertrail starts at Free and Grafana Loki at Free.
Does Papertrail or Grafana Loki run on more platforms?
Papertrail runs on Web, Api. Grafana Loki runs on Self-hosted (open source), Managed (Grafana Cloud Logs), Enterprise (self-managed with support).
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 Grafana Loki is typically brought in for.
What can Papertrail do that Grafana Loki cannot?
Papertrail covers Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. Grafana Loki covers Label-based indexing, LogQL language, Cost-effective. Both handle Log aggregation, API, Webhooks, REST.
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