Quick Answer
Last verified:

Papertrail pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $280 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: No free tier available
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Last verified: January 2026 | Sources: 4 pricing pages and reviews
+40-60% above list price

Hidden Costs Breakdown

1

Hard monthly caps or log drops - Plans have strict monthly GB limits. Exceeding limits either stops log ingestion (data loss) or requires enabling usage-based overages (30% premium)

2

Short 7-day retention on most plans - Only 48 hours on Free, 7 days on paid plans. Extended retention (30-90 days) requires Enterprise custom quote

3

Overage charges at 30% premium - If you enable usage-based service and exceed your monthly volume, additional GBs cost 30% more per GB (up to 200% of base volume)

4

Average annual cost $280-800 - Typical small business usage falls between $280/year (1GB plan) and $800/year (10GB+ with overages)

5

Per-GB pricing inefficient for high volume - At ~$0.25-1.00 per 1 million log messages, high-volume users (100GB+/month) pay more than alternatives like Logz.io or Graylog

6

No volume discounts on standard plans - Unlike competitors, Papertrail doesn't offer tiered discounts. Must jump to Enterprise for negotiated pricing

7

Export and archiving costs extra time/effort - While log archiving is available, setting up automated exports to S3 for long-term storage requires custom scripting

8

Limited advanced analytics - Papertrail focuses on search and alerts. Complex analytics, ML, or security features require external tools (Splunk, Datadog)

9

Integration limitations on lower tiers - Free and Small plans have restricted integrations and API rate limits

10

No dedicated support below Enterprise - Free/Small/Medium rely on email support with slower response times vs priority/24-7 support

Example: True Cost for 25 Users

License (25 × $7 × 12) $2,100/yr
Implementation (one-time) +$15,000–$50,000
Premium Support (20%) +$420/yr
Training (25 × $500) +$12,500
Admin (part-time) +$15,000–$25,000/yr
Year 1 Total $28,150–$63,360
That's 1.8–2.5× the advertised license price.

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What hidden costs should I budget for with Papertrail?

Beyond the license fee, budget for implementation ($5K-$100K+), training ($500-$2K per user), premium support (15-20% of license), and admin costs. Most companies see 40-60% higher total cost than the listed price.

02 Does Papertrail charge for implementation?

Papertrail doesn't include implementation in the license cost. Implementation is typically done by partners and costs range from $5,000 for basic setup to $100,000+ for enterprise deployments with customization.

03 How much does Papertrail support cost?

Basic support is included, but premium support (faster response times, 24/7 availability) typically adds 15-20% to your annual contract. This can be thousands of dollars per year for larger deployments.

04 Are there storage costs with Papertrail?

Most Papertrail plans include limited storage. Once you exceed the included amount, you'll pay overage fees which can range from $50-$500+ per month depending on data volume.

05 What add-ons cost extra with Papertrail?

Many features marketed as part of Papertrail are actually add-ons: advanced reporting, API access, integrations, and specialized modules. Each can add $10-$100+ per user per month.

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