Amazon CloudWatch Logs vs VictoriaLogs
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
aws.amazon.comVictoriaLogs
victoriametrics.comSide by side
| Figure | Amazon CloudWatch Logs | VictoriaLogs |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.03/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 2 |
| Spec score · Log Analysis Software | 9.2 (#1) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Spec score · Log Management Software | 9.2 (#5) | 8.5 (#27) |
| Archive export | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment options | cloud | VictoriaLogs can run from prebuilt binaries, Docker, or Kubernetes using Helm charts or the VictoriaMetrics Operator. |
| Founded | 2006 | 2018 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Integrations | CloudWatch Logs integrates with Amazon OpenSearch Service for querying and analyzing logs without moving or duplicating the data. | The docs list Grafana, Perses, Bindplane, and Logchef integrations and describe ingestion from collectors including Vector and Fluent Bit. |
| Live Tail | Live Tail provides interactive real-time analysis of streaming log data from a central view. | Yes |
| Log pipelines | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Amazon CloudWatch collects and stores logs from AWS resources, applications, services, on-premises resources, and other clouds. | VictoriaLogs is an open-source database for logs designed for fast, efficient log storage and analysis. |
| Security | CloudWatch Logs data is encrypted at rest and in transit, supports AWS KMS encryption for log groups, and is PCI and FedRAMP compliant. | The security guidance recommends running components in a trusted network and using an authorization proxy such as vmauth for requests from the internet; HTTPS, Basic Auth, and TLS are supported. |
| Structured log parsing | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The CloudWatch page directs users with questions to contact AWS. | The maker offers Ground Control support from the core team, including technical, architectural, security, adoption, integration, and performance guidance. |
Plans
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
- Logs data ingestion$0.50 a month
- Logs archive storage$0.03 a month
- Pay-as-you-goPrice not published
- Free tierFree
- Paid usagePrice not published
VictoriaLogs
- VictoriaLogs open sourceFree
- VictoriaLogs EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Amazon CloudWatch Logs collects and stores logs from AWS resources, applications, services, on-premises systems, and other clouds. It offers log pipelines, structured parsing, archive export, and live tailing through web and API access. Logs Insights lets users query records with filters, aggregations, and regular expressions, then visualize time-series data or export results to CloudWatch Dashboards. Logs are available in Standard for real-time monitoring and advanced analytics, or Infrequent Access for ad-hoc queries and forensic analysis. Live Tail provides a central interactive view of streaming logs, while anomaly detection uses machine learning to identify patterns and changes. Users can search and analyze logs across accounts from a monitoring account at no additional cost. The free tier includes 5 GB for ingestion, archive storage, and query scans, plus 1,800 Live Tail minutes per month. Usage-based charges are billed at month end, with no upfront commitment or minimum fee; rates vary by Region.
VictoriaLogs
VictoriaLogs is an open-source database for storing and analyzing logs. It accepts structured and unstructured log data without requiring a schema, and LogsQL provides full-text search and log analytics. It supports log pipelines, structured parsing, live tailing, archive export, OpenTelemetry, and a service map. Deployment can be single-node or clustered, using prebuilt binaries, Docker, or Kubernetes. The single-node and cluster versions are available under the Apache License 2.0, and the open-source plan is free. By default, entries older than seven days are dropped. Integrations include Grafana, Perses, Bindplane, and Logchef; ingestion from Vector and Fluent Bit is also described. VictoriaMetrics says the system uses up to 30 times less RAM and up to 15 times less disk space than Elasticsearch and Grafana Loki. HTTPS, Basic Auth, and TLS are supported; security guidance recommends a trusted network or an authorization proxy for internet requests. mTLS is an Enterprise feature, with commercial support also offered.