Log Management · head to head
Raygun vs Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
Log Management
Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Raygun crash Reporting error data is retained for 180 days and Real User Monitoring sessions for only 60 days; longer retention is Enterprise only; Azure Monitor billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
- They diverge on capability: Raygun covers Crash reporting, Azure Monitor covers Log collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Raygun and Azure Monitor actually diverge.
| Attribute | Raygun | Azure Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 | 2010 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Log Management).
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 Raygun
- Crash reporting
- Real user monitoring
- Performance tracking
- Source maps
Only in Azure Monitor
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
- Custom dashboards
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.
Raygun
- Crash and error reporting for web, mobile and backend applicationsnot Azure Monitor
- Real user monitoring of front end page load and session performancenot Azure Monitor
- Application performance monitoring with request level tracesnot Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
- Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Raygun
- Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Raygun
- Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Raygun
- Long-term log retention for compliancenot Raygun
- Querying operational data with KQLnot Raygun
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Azure Monitor
- Billed per GB ingested across three separate log plans, Auxiliary, Basic and Analytics, so the plan chosen changes the rate as much as the volume does
- Only the first 5 GB a month of Analytics logs is free per billing account
- Retention beyond the base period is charged per GB per month, up to 2 years interactive and 12 years long term
- Log queries and search jobs are billed per GB scanned, so investigating an incident costs money
- Alert rules are billed per time series for metrics and by execution frequency for logs
- The pricing page shows placeholders rather than rates until a region and currency are chosen
Pricing, plan by plan
Raygun
Free- FreeFree
- Crash reporting
- Real user monitoring
- Performance tracking
Azure Monitor
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
Which should you pick?
Choose Raygun if
- You need crash reporting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want real user monitoring.
Choose Azure Monitor if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want metrics collection.
Questions people ask
- Is Raygun or Azure Monitor better?
- Neither clearly leads. Raygun starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Raygun or Azure Monitor?
- Raygun starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free.
- Does Raygun or Azure Monitor run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Raygun for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Raygun best used for?
- Raygun is most often used for crash and error reporting for web, mobile and backend applications, real user monitoring of front end page load and session performance, application performance monitoring with request level traces. Of those, crash and error reporting for web, mobile and backend applications and real user monitoring of front end page load and session performance are not what Azure Monitor is typically brought in for.
- What can Raygun do that Azure Monitor cannot?
- Raygun covers Crash reporting, Real user monitoring, Performance tracking, Source maps. Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.