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Software · head to head

Sematext vs Filebeat

Sematext logo

Sematext

Software

Full Stack Observability Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Filebeat logo

Filebeat

Software

Lightweight Shipper for Logs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Filebeat filebeat ships only as part of the Elastic Stack and has no standalone commercial license; using it in production requires deploying Elasticsearch and typically Kibana alongside it.
  • They diverge on capability: Sematext covers Log aggregation, Filebeat covers File tailing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sematext and Filebeat actually diverge.

Attributes where Sematext and Filebeat differ
AttributeSematextFilebeat
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
Founded20072011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), 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 Sematext

  • Log aggregation
  • APM
  • Metrics monitoring
  • Anomaly detection

Only in Filebeat

  • File tailing
  • Log forwarding
  • Event parsing
  • Input harvesting

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 Filebeat
  • Infrastructure and application monitoring alongside logsnot Filebeat

Filebeat

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

Filebeat

  • Filebeat ships only as part of the Elastic Stack and has no standalone commercial license; using it in production requires deploying Elasticsearch and typically Kibana alongside it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Sematext

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log aggregation
    • APM
    • Metrics monitoring

Filebeat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • File tailing
    • Log forwarding
    • Event parsing

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.
Sematext review

Choose Filebeat if

  • You need file tailing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want log forwarding.
Filebeat review

Questions people ask

Is Sematext or Filebeat better?
Neither clearly leads. Sematext starts at Free and Filebeat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sematext or Filebeat?
Sematext starts at Free and Filebeat at Free.
Does Sematext or Filebeat 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 Filebeat is typically brought in for.
What can Sematext do that Filebeat cannot?
Sematext covers Log aggregation, APM, Metrics monitoring, Anomaly detection. Filebeat covers File tailing, Log forwarding, Event parsing, Input harvesting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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