Log Management · head to head
Sematext vs Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
Log Management
Azure's Monitoring and Diagnostics Service
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Sematext the $5 Basic plan caps ingestion at 500 MB a day and retains logs for 7 days; 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: Sematext covers Log aggregation, Azure Monitor covers Log collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Sematext and Azure Monitor actually diverge.
| Attribute | Sematext | Azure Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 | 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 Sematext
- Log aggregation
- APM
- Metrics monitoring
- Anomaly detection
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.
Sematext
- Centralised log management and search across servicesnot Azure Monitor
- Infrastructure and application monitoring alongside logsnot Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor
- Collecting logs and metrics from Azure resourcesnot Sematext
- Alerting on metric thresholds and log queriesnot Sematext
- Application performance monitoring through Application Insightsnot Sematext
- Long-term log retention for compliancenot Sematext
- Querying operational data with KQLnot Sematext
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Sematext
- The $5 Basic plan caps ingestion at 500 MB a day and retains logs for 7 days
- Ingestion and storage are billed on separate meters, at $0.10 per GB received and $0.15 per GB stored
- Retention is a plan property rather than a setting, so keeping logs longer means moving tier
- The published pricing page renders Standard and Pro figures from unresolved template placeholders, so only the Basic numbers are actually readable
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
Sematext
Free- FreeFree
- Log aggregation
- APM
- Metrics monitoring
Azure Monitor
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Metrics collection
- Alerts and notifications
Which should you pick?
Choose Sematext if
- You need log aggregation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want apm.
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 Sematext or Azure Monitor better?
- Neither clearly leads. Sematext 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, Sematext or Azure Monitor?
- Sematext starts at Free and Azure Monitor at Free.
- Does Sematext 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 Sematext for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Sematext best used for?
- Sematext is most often used for centralised log management and search across services, infrastructure and application monitoring alongside logs. Of those, centralised log management and search across services and infrastructure and application monitoring alongside logs are not what Azure Monitor is typically brought in for.
- What can Sematext do that Azure Monitor cannot?
- Sematext covers Log aggregation, APM, Metrics monitoring, Anomaly detection. Azure Monitor covers Log collection, Metrics collection, Alerts and notifications, Custom dashboards. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.