Ever since Splunk was first released all the way back in 2007, it has rapidly become one of the most used log management solutions. Splunk’s focus on log analysis and SIEM (Security Incident and Event Management) is the biggest factor that made it the leading tool for creating log files and machine data at large.

However, the last decade was marked by rapid changes in this landscape. Modern architectures like microservices, hybrid clouds, and containers have become the norm, and many tools have grown past Splunk, becoming faster, better optimized, and even cheaper.

Here’s our list of the best Splunk alternatives:

1. Graylog – EDITOR’S CHOICE This package is a free on-premises log management package that runs on Linux or Docker and its management team has followed the example of Splunk, porting it to the cloud and creating charged for observability and security monitoring package. Get a demo of Graylog Enterprise.
2. ManageEngine Log360 – FREE TRAIL This package of log analysis and data protection services includes analysis facilities and automated security scanning. Runs on Windows Server. Get a 30-day free trial.
3. ManageEngine OpManager – FREE TRIAL This network and server monitoring tool also provides Syslog capture and analysis functions that match Splunk capabilities. Available for Windows Server, Linux, AWS, and Azure. Start a 30-day free trial.
4. Site24x7 – FREE TRIAL Μonitors custom applications and services by collecting and analyzing logs, metrics, and events specific to their application architecture. Start a 30-day free trial.
5. Sumo Logic This award-winning tool provides a unified front for log & metric viewing and gives you a variety of visualization options.
6. Loggly Boasts almost all of Splunk’s features and many more on top of that. It’s cheaper and offers you a lot more in terms of user-friendliness and raw power.
7. Fluentd An open-source tool with over 500 plugins available to give you the most customizable experience.
8. jKool An easy-to-use open-source tool for beginners with a flourishing community.
9. Mixapanel A highly specialized tool helping you optimize app performance and metrics.
10. LogZilla A NEO platform that analyzes over 855,000 events each second.
11. Logstash An open-source tool that uses a variety of ingestion sources.
12. LogFaces A log management tool specialized for enterprise use featuring tight-knit features and a user-friendly interface.
13. Sentry An open-source tool optimized for error tracking and repair.

Why Businesses Use Splunk

Splunk’s usage isn’t restricted to log collection. The reason Splunk is so expensive is that it provides a mass of features for large businesses. Splunk will ingest, parse, and index a variety of different logs, files, network events, and machine data. All of this data is useful for monitoring activity, finding unusual activity, and finding trends for performance. Splunk will even alert its user once a given threshold of behavior has been exceeded and the behavior is determined to be suspicious.

In addition to this, Splunk also features robust logging features and can be used as a data analytics platform.

Downsides of Splunk

Although Splunk features a wide variety of features, it isn’t without its flaws. Splunk has quite a few disadvantages that make it a lousy option for SMBs and even some large businesses.

The biggest one is its price, costing up to $4,500 for one GB. This can be backbreaking for an SMB that can’t allow these kinds of expenses. This massive cost is the leading cause for many businesses looking for an alternative.

Furthermore, Splunk has quite a slow search speed. Many devs complain about how it’s unable to handle large swaths of data and its lower versatility than alternatives.

The Best Splunk Alternatives

1. Graylog – FREE TRIAL

Graylog is the natural choice for a Splunk alternative because, seeing the great success that the free Splunk system had developing charged-for add-ons, this tool is marching down the same path. Graylog is almost a decade behind Splunk in its evolution, but it is clear to see that the company is implementing a Splunk-like strategy. Graylog was originally a free, open-source log manager and that core is still available – it is now called Graylog Open.

The expansion strategy of Graylog involved moving the code to the cloud, while leaving Graylog Open still available as an on-premises package for Linux and Docker. Graylog now has two paid modules: Graylog Enterprise, which is an observability package, and Graylog Security, which is a SIEM. Subscribers to Graylog Security also get Graylog Enterprise and both packages are managed through a single console.

Key Features

• A log manager forms the core of all editions of Graylog, receiving, displaying, and filing messages.
• Opportunities to set up analysis routines with incoming log messages or logs recalled from files
• An on-premises edition that enables log management for free
• Added-value cloud-based editions for system performance monitoring and security scanning
• Alerts for performance issues in Graylog Enterprise and for security threats in Graylog Security
• Prioritized alerts, each with background information
• Compliance reporting templates
• Archiving options for log files

Graylog Open will install on Linux and you can also run it on Docker, which provides the option to host the package on Windows. The cloud-based editions include storage space for log files and for statistics. File strategy options allow for archiving. You can get a demo of the combined Graylog Enterprise and Graylog Security units.

2. ManageEngine Log360 – FREE TRIAL

ManageEngine Log360 has all of the data searching capabilities of Splunk plus activity tracking features that make it a file integrity monitor and a data loss prevention service as well.

This on-premises package is a combination of services that manage data protection, generate and gather logs, consolidate log messages, provide an analysis tool, and implement automated data searches.

Key Features

• A log server that can collect logs from more than 700 operating systems and applications
• A log manager that creates an accessible directory structure that is ideal for compliance auditing
• Compliance enforcement and reporting for HIPAA, PCI DSS, FISMA, SOX, GDPR, and GLBA
• Data analysis tool that can read in logs
• Automated intrusion detection with a SIEM
• User behavior analysis that provides user activity tracking and insider threat detection
• File integrity monitoring
• Logging of all actions on files of sensitive data
• A data discovery and classification system that can be tailored to specific standards
• USB device control and email scanning for data loss prevention

Why do we recommend it?

In our evaluation, ManageEngine Log360 proved effective in combining log analysis with data protection services. The file integrity monitoring and data loss prevention features were instrumental in enhancing our security posture. The automated search system, acting as a SIEM, facilitated compliance enforcement.

The automated search system feature and all of the other security tools in the package can be tailored to the requirements of a specific data security standard. Standards compliance is enforced by applying a configuration template from a library in the settings screen of Log360 and this leads through to compliance reporting.

This software bundle runs on Windows Server and the dashboard guides the administrator through ways to get application and operating system logs sent to the log server in the package.

Who is it recommended for?

ManageEngine Log360 is suitable for businesses requiring comprehensive data security. It offers compliance enforcement and reporting for standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, FISMA, SOX, GDPR, and GLBA. The on-premises nature makes it ideal for organizations with specific security requirements.

There is a Free version of the Log360 package that has all of the functions of the paid version but with capacity limits. The paid version is called the Premium edition and you can get it on a 30-day free trial.

3. ManageEngine OpManager – FREE TRIAL

ManageEngine OpManager is a monitoring package that tracks the statuses and performance of network devices and servers. Those endpoints can be running Windows, or Linux and any Syslog messages generated by operating systems, software or devices can be collected by the OpManager package.

Key Features

• Syslog collection and filing
• Analysis of log throughput statistics by source and severity
• Options to build log parsing and alert conditions on Syslog message contents
• Alert thresholds for log throughput levels
• Syslog forwarding
• Supplements activity and status data gathered by the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• Can be used for security auditing

Why do we recommend it?

During testing, ManageEngine OpManager impressed us with its ability to monitor network devices and servers comprehensively. The Syslog capture and analysis functions matched Splunk capabilities, and the network inventory and topology map creation were valuable features.

While Syslog collection is happening, OpManager simultaneously scans the network and creates a network inventory and topology map. It also watches processes on servers, storage servers, virtual systems, including virtualizations, VLANs, and virtual networks, such as SD-WANs, and also cloud platforms.

Who is it recommended for?

ManageEngine OpManager is recommended for businesses seeking a robust network and server monitoring tool. It is versatile, supporting Windows, Linux, AWS, and Azure. The free edition allows monitoring of up to three devices, making it accessible for smaller setups.

ManageEngine provides a Free edition of OpManager, however, it is limited to monitoring only three devices. There are three paid plans and they all include Syslog management functions. The system is a software package that will install on Windows Server or Linux. You can also access OpManager as a service on AWS Marketplace or Azure Marketplace. ManageEngine offers a 30-day free trial of OpManager.

4. Site24x7 – FREE TRIAL

Site24x7 is a complete system monitoring and management package with access to various modules for networks, applications, and servers. Log Management is one of the key features that most organizations use to collect log files and run analysis on details to improve overall performance. The solution offers access to a wide range of features that make it a great option for both small and large enterprises and an alternative to Splunk.

Key Features

• Centralized Management and Monitoring
• Automatically discovers logs
• Quick searches and troubleshooting
• Provides Unified observability

Why do we recommend it?

With the help of the Site24x7 Monitoring solution, no matter from where you are getting the log files, you can run quick searches and perform centralized analysis from a single dashboard. Another thing that makes it great is supported alert options that notify you about log issues in real-time.

You can collect, correlate, and analyze all log files from a single console and troubleshoot issues faster before they affect the performance. Further, it supports custom integrations, alert features, NetFlow Interfaces, advanced monitors, and many more options that make it a great deal.

Who is it recommended for?

Site24x7 comes in different editions that can be used by both small and large businesses. Most of the features are similar in each edition, the only way they differ is based on the capacity. If large businesses are looking for more capacity, they must pay an extra.

Start a 30-day free trial.

5. Sumo Logic

Sumo Logic is another cloud-based tool that gives you a variety of different log analysis and management features. It is geared to take advantage of big data and gather information from patterns within it.

Key Features

• Sumo Logic lets you monitor and analyze all of your logs and metrics from one place.
• Machine learning and predictive analysis are significant assets for any log management solution.
• Extremely scalable- Sumo Logic uses a multi-tenant architecture to ensure seamless transitions; in addition to this, it supports rapid growth and cloud migration.
• The tool won the 2021 Visionary award at Gartner Magic Quadrant in the SIEM category.
• Helps you get a more in-depth understanding of your comprehensive business environment.
• Its SaaS model makes it so that you can quickly get started in just a few minutes.
• Helps you stay compliant with a variety of industry standards.

Why do we recommend it?

Sumo Logic, a cloud-based tool, provided us with a unified platform for log and metric viewing. Its scalability and support for big data, coupled with machine learning and predictive analysis, offered us valuable insights into our comprehensive business environment.

As a unified log & metrics platform, you’re able to access its analysis and monitoring features for all apps and infrastructure in your organization from one place. In addition, it provides a variety of in-depth analytics, including state-of-the-art predictive analysis and machine learning functionalities.

Who is it recommended for?

Sumo Logic is recommended for businesses of all sizes, especially those dealing with big data. Its SaaS model ensures a quick start, and it supports industry standards for compliance. However, teams with higher technical requirements may find its interface overly simplistic.

Pricing

It has various payment modes so that you don’t overpay for features you don’t need.

1. Sumo Free: A free edition of Sumo Logic supporting a small set of abilities
2. Sumo Professional: Geared towards SMB’s, it costs $90 each month for every GB of average daily ingest
3. Sumo Enterprise: Made for large businesses and enterprises, it costs $150 per month for each GB of average daily ingest

Both Sumo Professional and Sumo Enterprise offer a month-long free trial.

6. Loggly

Made by the reputable SolarWinds company, Loggly is one of the most popular Splunk alternatives out there.  Loggly is a cloud-based software focused on log monitoring and analysis. It ensures that you’ll get used out of your log data, and it’s surprisingly easy to use despite its high depth.

Key Features

• Excellent proactive monitoring features are available for the most critical metrics. In addition, resources are available to get rid of issues before they cause trouble for your users.
• Root cause analysis gives you one of the most powerful troubleshooting features on the market. This will let you find the root cause of any issues you face.
• In-depth analysis capabilities let you keep track of even the most minute of metrics.
• Integration with most of the standard software used in the tech industry.
• Loggly will look for trends in your logs and track whether you’re compliant with most standard protocols and regulations.
• Excellent visualization capabilities, represent your data the way you want.
• Slick and intuitive UI lets you access the deeper features of Loggly without feeling too overwhelmed the first time you log in.
• Scalability: Loggly is highly scalable, with three different editions catering to varying types of business.
• Cloud-Based: You don’t need an on-prem installation to gain access to Loggly’s breadth of features.

Why do we recommend it?

During our testing phase, Loggly stood out for its robust proactive monitoring features, allowing us to address potential issues before they could impact users of our website. The root cause analysis was particularly powerful, enabling us to identify and resolve issues efficiently.

One of the biggest perks of Loggly is its high integration capabilities. Whether you use Slack, GitHub, Jira, Asana, or a similar piece of management and cooperation software, chances are Loggly is compatible with it. This makes getting the most out of its features and communicating with your team a breeze.

Who is it recommended for?

Loggly is recommended for businesses of all sizes, offering different versions to cater to various needs. Its high integration capabilities make it suitable for tech-savvy teams using tools like Slack, GitHub, Jira, or Asana. However, its abundance of features may pose a challenge for beginners.

Pricing

There are four different versions of Loggly

1. Loggly Lite: This version is a bare-bones edition made for beginners, but it’s free!
2. Loggly Standard: The best version for SMBs looking for some features that are a little bit more complex but don’t need Loggly’s total depth. It sits at $79 per month.
3. Loggly Pro: This edition is made for medium-sized businesses and enterprises with relatively few technical integrations. It costs $199 a month.
4. Loggly Enterprise: This edition of Loggly provides the full breadth of its features and is perfect for large businesses and enterprises. It starts at $349 a month.

The Standard and Pro versions have a free trial available on their Website. You can also get a 30-day free trial.

7. Fluentd

Fluentd is an open-source software made for data collection and analysis. As a cross-platform tool, it’s an excellent choice for smaller businesses or individuals looking to get a log management tool for free. Fluentd is part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.

Key Features

• Completely open-source, all of Fluentd’s components are available under the Apache 2 license.
• The best tool on this list when it comes to distributed systems logging.
• Features over 500 plugins that come with the tool, with many more made by the community.
• 10-minute setup process.
• Flourishing community.
• Capability to decouple data sources from their backend systems through a unified logging layer set in the middle of them.

Why do we recommend it?

Fluentd, being an open-source tool, stood out for its customizability and compatibility with distributed systems. The ease of setup, coupled with over 500 plugins, provided us with a versatile and highly adaptable solution for data collection and analysis. Its community has made hundreds of additional plugins too.

Who is it recommended for?

Fluentd is recommended for smaller businesses or individuals seeking a customizable log management tool. Its open-source nature and community support make it suitable for those looking for flexibility in their log management approach.

8. jKool

jKool is another cloud-based software dealing with machine-generated data analysis. Logs, metrics, and transactions are all easy to analyze through jKool. It’s also a great tool if you’re looking to deal with big data in real-time.

Key Features

• jKool is capable of analyzing and consolidating machine data.
• Excellent at dealing with large volumes of complex concurrent data in real-time.
• It is available both as a service and as an on-prem deployment.
• Time-to-Live based automatic data management and expiration.
• Very easy to use and set up.
• Will track transactions, errors, logs, metrics, exceptions, and failures.
• jKool breaks your data down into silos and then runs queries on them individually, providing meaningful insights into it.
• A lot of customization is offered with its custom dashboards feature.
• All events can be geotagged, and you can run queries based on the tag.
• A variety of visualization options.
• Customer behavior analysis lets you improve the experience of your customers.
• jKool will aid you in finding malicious activity and minimizing the risk coming from it.

Why do we recommend it?

In our testing, jKool demonstrated proficiency in analyzing and consolidating machine data in real-time. Its ease of use, customization options, and customer behavior analysis features made it a valuable asset for understanding large volumes of concurrent data.

Furthermore, it gives you various charts, graphs, and other visual options to help you represent trends in the data. All in all, jKool offers a wide breadth of functionalities and has many uses.

Who is it recommended for?

jKool is recommended for businesses handling large volumes of concurrent data in real-time. It caters to various needs, from tracking transactions to identifying malicious activity. However, its business plan pricing options may require consultation with the sales team.

There are two versions of jKool:

• jKool Personal: This version is free; however, data is only retained for up to five days, making it relatively weak in a business setting.
• jKool Business: This version provides unlimited retention, streaming, and premium support in addition to a variety of other features. With that being said, you’ll need to contact their sales team to get a quote.

9. Mixpanel

Mixpanel is designed to help you target communication and track your user’s interactions with your apps. As a business analytics tool, it’s also tasked with measuring your users’ engagement and user retention.

Key Features

• Rapid insight discovery.
• The tool is specialized to provide an in-depth look at how your customers interact with your app- helping you boost your conversion rates. In addition, funnel analysis is critical, letting you know where your customers leave the app.
• Automatically detects data trends.
• Excellent visualization capabilities, there are multiple formats of data on offer to help you get a better look at your data.
• The tool helps with undertaking intelligent action based on its analytics. For example, you can automatically trigger messages, perform A/B tests and personalize your communication efforts. The metrics of this are then measured through the tool.

Why do we recommend it?

Mixpanel excelled in providing rapid insight discovery and specialized analytics for app interactions. Its visualization capabilities and the ability to trigger intelligent actions based on analytics made it a valuable tool for businesses focusing on app optimization.

Indeed, this is one of the quickest tools on this list, often providing insights in minutes. Its visualization capabilities are also superb, and you can bookmark the generated reports to have easy access to them later.

Who is it recommended for?

Mixpanel is recommended for businesses specifically looking to optimize app performance, measure user engagement, and undertake intelligent actions based on analytics. Its specialization makes it less suitable for those with broader log management needs.

There are three different versions of Mixpanel to choose from:

• Mixpanel Free: At 5 million data points per month, 60-day data history, and most of the tool’s features available, this is one of the better free pricing options on this list. With that being said, it offers a limited range of core projects, and you can only have three members in each organization.
• Mixpanel Basic: 10 million data points per year, unlimited saved reports, and 12 months of data history. You can still only have five members in an organization, though. It is priced at $999 per 10 million data points a year.
• Mixpanel Enterprise: The Enterprise edition provides you with five years of data history, premium support, and a variety of other high-end features. You can contact their team to get a precise quote.

10. LogZilla

LogZilla is a Network Event Orchestrated  (NEO) platform that provides real-time network insight for enterprise network teams.

Key Features

• Focused on preemptive identification of network issues.
• High record rate at over 855,000 events a second.
• Easy to use with no prior knowledge of network management software.
• TCO(Total cost of ownership) can be reduced between 50 and 90 percent.
• Data is pre-processed before it’s forwarded to SNMP trap receivers and Syslog.
• Excellent false-positive detection makes you spend less time on nonexistent issues.
• Since LogZilla runs in Docker containers, it can be run regardless of OS.

Why do we recommend it?

LogZilla’s focus on preemptive identification of network issues, high record rate, and ease of use without prior network management knowledge were standout features during our testing. The software’s false-positive detection and Docker container deployment added to its efficiency.

LogZilla is geared towards helping your IT team find issues and malicious activity before it becomes a threat. With a record rate of 855,000 events per second, it can store up to 40TB of data each day. It also features a variety of automation features to make your log management efforts as efficient as possible.

Who is it recommended for?

LogZilla is recommended for enterprise network teams aiming for preemptive issue identification. Its efficiency in handling a high record rate makes it suitable for those with substantial log management needs. Pricing varies, with a free tier available for smaller setups.

Pricing: LogZilla is free for up to 500 events a day and costs $525 for SMBs. For enterprises and larger businesses, you’ll need to request a quote.

11. Logstash/ELK

Logstash is another open-source tool specialized for data ingestion and analysis from multiple sources. It will then send the data to a stash of your choice.

Key Features

• Logstash supports multiple input sources, making it a very flexible choice.
• Event filtering can be set up to identify named fields and change them to have the same format to make your work easier.
• Geo coordinate deciphering capabilities.
• Sensitive data fields are excluded from its log analysis.
• A variety of filters are available to help you gear it to your exact needs.
• Supports a variety of output streams, helping you send data to the most effective devices to handle it.
• Easy integration with the most popular data sources.
• Hundreds of plugins to choose from.

Why do we recommend it?

Logstash, as an open-source tool, impressed us with its flexibility in data ingestion and analysis from multiple sources (it supports a variety of different input sources like websites, apps, AWS services, and many others). It also has over 200 plugins made by Logstash and even more available from the community. This, combined with a robust security policy, allows Logstash to offer a customizable solution for businesses with diverse log management requirements.

Who is it recommended for?

Logstash is recommended for businesses seeking a flexible and customizable log management solution. Its open-source nature makes it cost-effective, and the availability of plugins enhances its adaptability to different data sources.

Pricing: As an open-source tool, Logstash is entirely free.

12. LogFaces

LogFaces is a logging suite made for enterprises. It will aggregate, store, analyze, and display all of your logs in real-time.

Key Features

• A variety of enterprise-specialized features.
• Zero subscription fees or usage limitations if you pursue a license.
• Real-time notifications help you manage your logs and alert you of any suspicious activity.
• Extremely responsive and user-friendly.
• Log data analysis features help you find issues efficiently.
• All-in-one logging suite.
• You can use your LDAP directory to manage data access.

Why do we recommend it?

LogFaces, designed for enterprises, provided a comprehensive logging suite with real-time log aggregation, analysis, and display. Its responsive and user-friendly interface, along with features like real-time notifications, contributed to efficient log management.

Who is it recommended for?

LogFaces is recommended for enterprises looking for an all-in-one logging suite with real-time capabilities. Its pricing, based on a one-time license fee, makes it suitable for those seeking a cost-effective, long-term log management solution.

Pricing: This tool comes in two versions, both of which are a single payment. The LogFaces Enterprise edition costs $599, while its Site edition costs $1499. There is also a 20-day extended free trial available.

13. Sentry

Sentry is another open-source software; however, this one is geared towards finding and tracking errors and aiding you with real-time repair and monitoring. Its continuous iteration processes help you check for mistakes constantly,

Key Features

• Quick setup- setting up Sentry takes just a couple of lines of code.
• Notifications can be sent through email, SMS, or a chat window, depending on what you prefer.
• Exception-handling features that make app creation more efficient.
• Error tracking can be easily integrated with each commit and deployment.
• Delivered as a hosting service.
• Easily integrates with most common coding languages.
• If it finds an error, it’ll provide context as well as other relevant information for it.

Why do we recommend it?

Sentry, as an open-source software, excelled in error tracking and real-time repair. Its quick setup, integration with common coding languages, and continuous iteration processes made it a valuable tool for identifying and addressing errors efficiently

Who is it recommended for?

Sentry is recommended for developers and teams focusing on error tracking and real-time repair in app development. Its quick setup and integration capabilities make it suitable for individual projects or larger teams. Pricing varies, with free and paid versions available.

Pricing: The developer version of the software is free and is perfect for individual projects. The Team version starts at $26 per month and is great for teams and apps, expecting large growth spurts. The business edition costs $80 a month and will provide a full suite of features. Finally, the Enterprise edition isn’t priced on the website, but you can ask the company for a quote. There are free trials for both the business and team editions.

Wrapping Up

Although Splunk is an excellent log management tool, it’s nowhere near the king of the hill today. If you aren’t looking to spend exorbitant sums on Splunk, there’s a variety of cheaper options available that offer most, if not all, of its features.

The most important thing to consider, as always, are your needs. Your number 1 Splunk alternative might not be the same as ours. However, you’re the only one who knows what exactly your business needs, and you should pick a tool accordingly.

Did we miss your favorite Splunk alternative?

What feature do you wish more log managers had?

Let us know in the comments below!