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Logging · head to head

Papertrail vs Telegraf

Papertrail logo

Papertrail

Logging

Cloud-Hosted Log Management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Telegraf logo

Telegraf

Logging

The Plugin-Driven Server Agent for Collecting and Reporting Metrics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Papertrail log Observability starts at $5.00 per GB per month; Telegraf telegraf's core is open source and free, and InfluxData names a separate Telegraf Enterprise tier for teams running it at scale with no price published
  • They diverge on capability: Papertrail covers Log aggregation, Telegraf covers Metrics collection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Papertrail and Telegraf actually diverge.

Attributes where Papertrail and Telegraf differ
AttributePapertrailTelegraf
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Founded20112013

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

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 Telegraf

  • Metrics collection
  • System monitoring
  • Application monitoring
  • Plugin architecture

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

Telegraf

  • Log monitoringnot Papertrail
  • Application performancenot Papertrail
  • Security analyticsnot Papertrail
  • Troubleshootingnot 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

Telegraf

  • Telegraf's core is open source and free, and InfluxData names a separate Telegraf Enterprise tier for teams running it at scale with no price published

Pricing, plan by plan

Papertrail

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

Telegraf

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Metrics collection
    • System monitoring
    • Application monitoring

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 Telegraf if

  • You need metrics collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want system monitoring.
Telegraf review

Questions people ask

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

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Telegraf: Is Telegraf free to use?

Yes, Telegraf OSS is free and open source. It can be downloaded and used at no cost for collecting metrics from infrastructure, applications, and devices using over 400 community-tested plugins.

Source
Telegraf: What is Telegraf Enterprise and how much does it cost?

Telegraf Enterprise is a commercial offering for managing Telegraf at scale. It is licensed annually with entry-level packages starting at $18,000 per year, and pricing scales based on the total number of Telegraf agents under management.

Source
Telegraf: Can I try Telegraf Enterprise before purchasing?

Yes, a free tier of Telegraf Controller is available for evaluation. It allows you to store up to 20 configurations and manage up to 100 reporting agents.

Source
Telegraf: Can Telegraf OSS be used for commercial purposes?

Telegraf OSS is free and available as open source software, suitable for commercial deployments without licensing fees. For large-scale enterprise needs, Telegraf Enterprise is the commercial offering.

Source
Telegraf: How many plugins does Telegraf support?

Telegraf includes over 400 community-tested plugins that can connect to various data sources and destinations including Kubernetes, Docker, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Kafka, and many databases.

Source
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