Free and open first

Best Log Analysis Software in 2026

Log analysis software helps you work with log data through queries, retention controls and alerts. This list is for people comparing tools by cost, deployment and supported platforms.

24 apps
Research read 28 Sept 2026
How the order is worked out

1

Grafana Loki

Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hosted+2

Loki offers several ingestion and installation paths, plus querying and alerting for aggregated logs. Plan for an authenticating reverse proxy and take care with label cardinality.

9.0 Free plan Visit site
2

syslog-ng
by syslog-ng
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2

8.5 Free plan Visit site
3

Azure Monitor

Free plan APILinuxMac+2

7.7 Free plan · 30-day trial Visit site
4

Better Stack

Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1

Better Stack combines incident response and monitoring with telemetry, error tracking, and status pages.

7.6 Free plan · paid from $29/mo (annual) Visit site
5

Elastic Observability
by Elastic Observability
Free plan APILinuxMac+3

Elastic Observability combines telemetry analysis, monitoring, and deployment options, with usage-based Serverless rates listed by data type.

7.5 Pricing on request · 14-day trial Visit site
6

Google Cloud Logging

Free plan APIiPhoneLinux+2

Google Cloud Logging combines log ingestion, exploration, analytics, routing, and archiving in a cloud service.

7.5 Free plan · paid from $0.50 Visit site
7

Amazon CloudWatch Logs

Free plan APIWeb

CloudWatch Logs combines collection, querying, live viewing, and cross-account analysis, with a stated free tier. Costs depend on usage and region, so account for ingestion and any paid Live Tail use.

7.4 From $0.50 Visit site
8

Grafana Cloud Application Observability

Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+5

Grafana Cloud Application Observability brings several telemetry types and service-level views together for application investigation.

7.4 Free plan · paid from $0.03 Visit site
9

ManageEngine EventLog Analyzer

Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWeb+1

EventLog Analyzer combines broad log collection with threat detection, compliance reporting, and incident workflows.

7.3 Free plan · paid from $795 · 30-day trial Visit site
10

OpenSearch
by OpenSearch
Free plan APILinuxMac+3

OpenSearch provides a free search and analytics suite with ingestion, visualization, and machine-learning capabilities.

7.2 Open source Visit site
11

Oracle Log Analytics

Free plan APILinuxWeb+1

Oracle Log Analytics brings log collection, analysis, monitoring, and storage into a cloud service with a free initial storage allowance.

7.1 Free plan Visit site
12

Sumo Logic
by Sumo Logic
Free plan APILinuxMac+2

7.0 Free plan · pricing on request · 30-day trial Visit site
13

VictoriaLogs

Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

VictoriaLogs combines flexible log ingestion and querying with multiple self-hosted deployment routes.

6.9 Free plan Visit site
14

OpenObserve

Free plan Web

OpenObserve brings pipeline processing, parsing, live viewing and archive export together for log work.

6.8 Free plan · pricing on request Visit site
15

Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring

Free plan LinuxWebWindows

6.3 Free plan · paid from $15/mo (annual) Visit site
16

Mezmo
by Mezmo
Free trial APILinuxMac+2

Mezmo brings log handling and telemetry workflows together with an SRE agent for investigation and triage. Buyers should weigh its custom pricing and retention options against their operational needs.

6.1 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Visit site
17

Logz.io Log Management
by Logz.io Log Management
Free trial APIWeb

Logz.io Log Management combines managed log operations with search, AI-assisted investigation, optimization tools, and extensive integrations.

5.9 14-day trial Visit site
18

Graylog Enterprise

Paid APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

Graylog Enterprise combines real-time log analysis, tiered storage, deployment flexibility, and enterprise access controls.

5.8 From $18,000/yr Visit site
19

SolarWinds Loggly

Free plan Web

5.5 Free plan · 30-day trial Visit site
20

Splunk Enterprise

Free trial Self-hosted

5.5 Free plan · pricing on request · 60-day trial Visit site
21

Sematext Logs

Paid Web

Sematext Logs provides core collection, processing, viewing and export functions with a stated retention period. Confirm ingestion requirements and Basic-plan pricing before committing.

5.1 From $5/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
22

Datadog Logs

Paid Web

4.9 From $0.10/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
23

Coralogix SIEM

Paid Web

Coralogix SIEM pairs custom detection rules and real-time alerts with three listed query languages. The Usage-based logs plan is $0.42 a month and includes infinite retention.

4.8 From $0.42 · 14-day trial Visit site
24

Dynatrace Log Management and Analytics

Paid Web

4.4 From $0.20 · 15-day trial Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

Check what a free plan includes, whether a trial is available and how free ingestion limits apply. If reading or changing code matters, review the licence. Compare retention, query language, alerts and log source integrations before choosing.

Questions

Are free log analysis tools available?

Yes. The list includes tools with free plans, and Grafana Loki is marked free. Check the free ingestion limit and included features before relying on a no-cost plan.

Which tools offer free trials?

Listed trial periods include 14 days, 15 days and 30 days. Check the individual tool's pricing terms for the exact trial and what happens after it ends.

What platforms can these tools run on?

Platforms represented include web, API, Linux, Windows, self-hosted and macOS. Check deployment details for the tool and environment you plan to use.

What pricing details should I compare?

Compare free-plan availability, the paid-from price and the free ingestion limit. Pricing notes range from free plans to paid starting prices, with units shown on the tool entry when provided.

Can I read or change the source code?

Open-source code is offered by tools on the list. Review the specific tool's licence and deployment model to confirm whether its code and self-hosting terms fit your needs.

Questions

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