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Logging · head to head

Papertrail vs Raygun

Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Logging

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Raygun logo

Raygun

Logging

Real User Monitoring and Crash Reporting

From
$40/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Papertrail has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month; Raygun crash Reporting error data is retained for 180 days and Real User Monitoring sessions for only 60 days; longer retention is Enterprise only
  • They diverge on capability: Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Raygun covers Crash reporting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Papertrail and Raygun actually diverge.

Attributes where Papertrail and Raygun differ
AttributePapertrailRaygun
Starting priceFree$40/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logging), 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 Raygun

  • Crash reporting
  • Real user monitoring
  • Performance tracking
  • Source maps

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

Raygun

  • Crash and error reporting for web, mobile and backend applicationsnot Papertrail
  • Real user monitoring of front end page load and session performancenot Papertrail
  • Application performance monitoring with request level tracesnot 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

Raygun

  • Crash Reporting error data is retained for 180 days and Real User Monitoring sessions for only 60 days; longer retention is Enterprise only
  • Crash Reporting, Real User Monitoring and APM are billed as three separate products, each metered on its own unit of errors, sessions or traces
  • A Real User Monitoring session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity, so a single visit spanning breaks is billed as several sessions
  • Usage beyond the plan allowance is billed on demand at $0.001 per error and $0.002 per session or trace
  • Enterprise plan pricing is custom with no published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Papertrail

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

Raygun

$40/month
  • Basic$40/month
    • Core monitoring, unlimited apps and members
    • Basic alerts, deployment tracking
    • Annual billing saves 33%
  • Team$80/month
    • Inbound filters and third-party integrations
    • Unlimited dashboards and user roles
    • Marked as MOST POPULAR plan
  • Business$400/month
    • SAML SSO and dedicated account manager
    • Priority support and quarterly reviews
    • Annual billing saves 33%
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom pricing and compliance requirements
    • Unlimited reports and SLA agreements
    • Private Slack support

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 Raygun if

  • You need crash reporting.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real user monitoring.
Raygun review

Questions people ask

Is Papertrail or Raygun better?
Neither clearly leads. Papertrail starts at Free and Raygun at $40/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Papertrail or Raygun?
Papertrail has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Papertrail and $40/month for Raygun.
Does Papertrail or Raygun 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?
Yes. Papertrail has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Raygun starts at $40/month.
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 Raygun is typically brought in for.
What can Papertrail do that Raygun cannot?
Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Real-time tail, Saved searches, System alerts. Raygun covers Crash reporting, Real user monitoring, Performance tracking, Source maps. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Raygun: Does Raygun offer a free trial?

Yes. Raygun offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card required. The trial includes feature access across all products.

Source
Raygun: What is Raygun's pricing model?

Raygun uses a usage-based pricing model with tiered plans starting at $40/month for Basic tier, plus per-event charges ($0.001 to $0.002 per event). Annual billing saves 33% compared to monthly rates.

Source
Raygun: What features are included in the Team plan?

Team plan at $80/month includes inbound filters, third-party integrations, unlimited dashboards, user roles, and is marked as the most popular option. It's positioned between Basic and Business tiers.

Source
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