ELK Stack
8.3#10 in log management softwareFree planFree planAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted
VisitELK Stack vs Google Cloud Logging
Google Cloud Logging
8.8#4 in log management softwareFrom $0.01 a monthFree planiOSWebAPILinux
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | ELK Stack | Google Cloud Logging |
|---|---|---|
| Archive export | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment options | Available as Serverless, Hosted, or self-managed Elasticsearch. | cloud |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Elastic offers over 300 turn-key integrations for Search, Security, Observability, and cloud providers including AWS, Azure, and GCP. | Official integrations include Cloud Monitoring, Error Reporting, Cloud Trace, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage and BigQuery. |
| Live log tailing | Yes | Yes |
| Log pipelines | Yes | Yes |
| Log retention | 30 | 30 |
| Pricing model | Hosted tiers start at monthly prices; Serverless charges by usage. | Google Cloud describes Logging charges as usage-based, with storage, vended-network-log and extended-retention meters. |
ELK Stack plans
- Basic—
- Logs EssentialsPriced on request
- Complete$0.09 a month
- Standard$99 a month
- Gold$114 a month
- Platinum$131 a month
Google Cloud Logging plans
- Logging storage (non-vended network logs)$0.50 a month
- Logging retention beyond default period$0.01 a month
- Log AnalyticsFree
- Log RouterFree
- Free allotmentFree
- Logs RouterFree
Pick ELK Stack if…
The Elastic Stack suits teams that need search, analytics, visualization, centralized logging, monitoring, or security analytics. Its hosted and self-managed deployment options support different infrastructure choices.
Pick Google Cloud Logging if…
It suits teams that need a cloud-based place to inspect, retain, and export logs. The free ingestion allowance may be useful, while storage and longer retention have listed charges.