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Networking · head to head

Grafana vs Splunk

Grafana logo

Grafana

Networking

Observability and Data Visualization

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splunk logo

Splunk

Networking

Turn Data Into Doing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Grafana has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Grafana the free tier retains metrics, logs and traces for 14 days only; Splunk no prices are published on any plan; every model requires contacting sales for an estimate
  • They diverge on capability: Grafana covers Dashboard creation, Splunk covers Log aggregation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Grafana and Splunk actually diverge.

Attributes where Grafana and Splunk differ
AttributeGrafanaSplunk
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded20142003

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

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 Grafana

  • Dashboard creation
  • Alerting
  • Data source integration
  • Visualization plugins

Only in Splunk

  • Log aggregation
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Data visualization
  • Full-text search
  • Custom dashboards
  • Alert management
  • Anomaly detection
  • Log parsing

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.

Grafana

  • Metrics visualization and monitoringnot Splunk
  • Log aggregation and analysisnot Splunk
  • Distributed traces managementnot Splunk
  • System performance profilingnot Splunk

Splunk

  • Log search and analysis across infrastructurenot Grafana
  • SIEM, SOAR and UEBA for a security operations teamnot Grafana
  • Application performance and infrastructure monitoringnot Grafana
  • Cloud, private cloud or on-premises deploymentnot Grafana

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Grafana

  • The free tier retains metrics, logs and traces for 14 days only
  • Free is capped at 10,000 active metric series and 50 GB each of logs and traces a month
  • The Pro plan carries a $19 a month platform fee before any usage charges
  • Logs and traces are billed on three separate meters, at $0.050 per GB processed, $0.400 per GB written and $0.100 per GB retained
  • Retaining data is an ongoing charge rather than a one off, so historical data costs every month it exists

Splunk

  • No prices are published on any plan; every model requires contacting sales for an estimate
  • Three separate pricing models, workload, ingest and entity, so the same deployment costs different amounts depending on which was signed
  • Ingest pricing bills on data volume, so cost tracks how much you log rather than how much value you get from it
  • Security, observability and platform are priced separately

Pricing, plan by plan

Grafana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Limited usage across all services
    • 14-day retention for metrics, logs, traces, profiles
    • Community support only
  • Pro$19/month
    • Pay-as-you-go pricing with volume discounts
    • 13-month retention for metrics
    • 30-day retention for logs/traces/profiles
  • Enterprise$25000/year
    • Custom pricing based on annual volume
    • Premium support included
    • Custom retention options

Splunk

On request
  • Observability Cloud - Infrastructure$15/month
    • Infrastructure monitoring for per host/month pricing
    • Unlimited users and ability to scale to petabytes of data
  • Observability Cloud - App & Infra$60/month
    • App and infrastructure monitoring for per host/month pricing billed annually
  • Observability Cloud - End-to-End$75/month
    • End-to-end observability for per host/month pricing billed annually
  • On-Call$5/month
    • On-call management for per user per month pricing billed annually
    • Covers up to 10 seats

Which should you pick?

Choose Grafana if

  • You need dashboard creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want alerting.
Grafana review

Choose Splunk if

  • You need log aggregation.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want real-time monitoring.
Splunk review

Questions people ask

Is Grafana or Splunk better?
Neither clearly leads. Grafana starts at Free and Splunk at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Grafana or Splunk?
Grafana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Grafana and On request for Splunk.
Does Grafana or Splunk run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Grafana for free?
Yes. Grafana has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Splunk starts at On request.
What is Grafana best used for?
Grafana is most often used for metrics visualization and monitoring, log aggregation and analysis, distributed traces management, system performance profiling. Of those, metrics visualization and monitoring and log aggregation and analysis are not what Splunk is typically brought in for.
What can Grafana do that Splunk cannot?
Grafana covers Dashboard creation, Alerting, Data source integration, Visualization plugins. Splunk covers Log aggregation, Real-time monitoring, Data visualization, Full-text search. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Grafana: What is Grafana's pricing model?

Grafana offers a freemium model with a free tier, Pro tier starting at 19 USD/month with pay-as-you-go usage charges, and Enterprise plans starting at 25000 USD/year.

Source
Splunk: What is Splunk's pricing model?

Splunk offers activity-based, ingest, or workload pricing options depending on the product. Splunk Observability Cloud and AppDynamics use per-host or per-vCPU monthly pricing billed annually. Splunk Cloud Platform and Splunk Enterprise require custom quotes from sales.

Source
Grafana: How long is data retention for each plan?

Free tier provides 14-day retention for metrics, logs, traces, and profiles. Pro tier extends this to 13 months for metrics and 30 days for logs/traces/profiles. Enterprise offers custom retention options.

Source
Splunk: How much does Splunk Enterprise cost?

Splunk Enterprise pricing requires contact with sales. The vendor offers data-ingest or workload pricing options, supports unlimited users, and can scale to petabytes of data, but specific rates are not published online.

Source
Grafana: What support is included in each tier?

Free tier includes community support only. Pro tier provides 8 times 5 email support. Enterprise includes premium 24/7 support.

Source
Splunk: What are the differences between Splunk's pricing options?

Splunk offers multiple pricing models: ingest-based pricing charges according to data volume brought into the system; workload-based pricing charges based on computing resources consumed by workloads. Both models apply to Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform. Standard support is included with product purchases; premium support is available as an add-on.

Source
Grafana: Does Grafana offer volume discounts?

Yes, Grafana uses adaptive pricing with automatic volume discounts as usage scales, and provides cost-optimization tools to help eliminate spending on unused data.

Source
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