Papertrail vs Graylog Pricing (2026)
Compare / Papertrail vs Graylog
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Team size
25 seats

Papertrail vs Graylog

Log Management pricing comparison · 2026

Papertrail costs $5/GB/mo, while Graylog has a free plan, then $15,000–$18,000/yr. Papertrail is typically 100% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Papertrail pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Graylog pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Log Management
Side-by-side · live
Papertrail
Papertrail (by SolarWinds) is a cloud-hosted log management service designed for developer
verified 4mo ago
$575 $750
View pricing →
Graylog
Graylog is a powerful open-source log management platform trusted by 50,000+ organizations
verified 4mo ago
$575 $750
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Papertrail median is $175 less than Graylog · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $575
Spread 23%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Usage-based
Custom rates
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
Pricing model unknown
Pricing model unknown
no public list price found
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$575/yr
Vendr · n=11
Median annual
$750/yr
Vendr · n=11
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 8 sourced facts
4 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 4mo ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 6 sourced facts
3 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 4mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
3 documented
  • Log retention limits on free tier
    Upgrade required for longer retention
    1 source
  • Volume-based pricing escalation
    $575/month at 100GB volume
    2 sources
  • Limited long-term archive capabilities
    Additional storage costs for long-term retention
    1 source
3 documented
  • Infrastructure Setup Complexity
    10-20% of license costs
    1 source
  • Disk Storage Management and Index Corruption
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • Manual Update Management Required
    $500-$2,000
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Papertrail
Graylog
Auto-renewal
—
Yes
Cancellation
—
Typically 30, 60, or 90 days before the expiration date.
Commitment
—
—
Price escalation
$575/month at 100GB volume
5% to 10%
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 3 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
7.3out of 5 (3)
Best for
Teams of any size wanting consumption-based log management that scales with actual log volume
Watch out
Free tier has very limited log retention (2 days searchable)
TrustRadius
8.2out of 5 (6)
Best for
Self-hosting teams with infrastructure expertise wanting unlimited log ingestion without licensing costs
Watch out
Backend configuration complexity requiring Elasticsearch, MongoDB, and Linux expertise
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Papertrail pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Graylog pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Log Management

Papertrail

$5
/GB/mo
1 plan
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Log Management

Graylog

Free plan; paid $15,000–$18,000
/yr
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Papertrail and Graylog both operate in the log management category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Papertrail Graylog
Log Observability $5 /GB/month Free /free (self-hosted)
Graylog Open — Free /month
Graylog Enterprise — Custom
Graylog Security — Custom

Market Intelligence

Papertrail

Median annual cost
$575
Based on
11 deals

Graylog

Median annual cost
$750
Based on
11 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Papertrail 3 hidden costs

medium
Log retention limits on free tier Upgrade required for longer retention
high
Volume-based pricing escalation $575/month at 100GB volume
medium
Limited long-term archive capabilities Additional storage costs for long-term retention
See all Papertrail hidden costs →

Graylog 3 hidden costs

medium
Infrastructure Setup Complexity 10-20% of license costs
high
Disk Storage Management and Index Corruption 5-15% of license costs
low
Manual Update Management Required $500-$2,000 (source dated Jan 2022)
See all Graylog hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Papertrail Graylog
Auto-renewal — Yes
Cancellation — Typically 30, 60, or 90 days before the expiration date.
Minimum commitment — —
Price escalation $575/month at 100GB volume 5% to 10%

Continue researching

Papertrail

Graylog

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