Google Cloud Logging vs VictoriaLogs
Google Cloud Logging
cloud.google.comVictoriaLogs
victoriametrics.comSide by side
| Figure | Google Cloud Logging | VictoriaLogs |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.01/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 13 | 2 |
| Spec score · Log Management Software | 9.5 (#2) | 8.5 (#27) |
| Spec score · Log Analysis Software | 9.2 (#2) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Archive export | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment options | cloud | VictoriaLogs can run from prebuilt binaries, Docker, or Kubernetes using Helm charts or the VictoriaMetrics Operator. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Official integrations include Cloud Monitoring, Error Reporting, Cloud Trace, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage and BigQuery. | The docs list Grafana, Perses, Bindplane, and Logchef integrations and describe ingestion from collectors including Vector and Fluent Bit. |
| Live log tailing | Yes | Yes |
| Log pipelines | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Cloud Logging is a fully managed, real-time log management service for storage, search, analysis, and alerting at exabyte scale. | VictoriaLogs is an open-source database for logs designed for fast, efficient log storage and analysis. |
| Support | The product page directs customers who need help getting started to contact sales. | The maker offers Ground Control support from the core team, including technical, architectural, security, adoption, integration, and performance guidance. |
Plans
Google Cloud Logging
- Logging storage (non-vended network logs)$0.50 a month
- Vended network logs storage$0.25 a month
- Logging retention beyond default period$0.01 a month
- Free allotmentFree
- Log AnalyticsFree
- Log RouterFree
- Logs RouterFree
- Extended retention$0.01 a month
- Logging retention$0.01 a month
- Vended network logs storage$0.25, paid once
VictoriaLogs
- VictoriaLogs open sourceFree
- VictoriaLogs EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Google Cloud Logging
Google Cloud Logging is a managed cloud service for storing, searching, analyzing and alerting on logs. Logs Explorer supports query-based searches, sorting, histogram views, field exploration and saved queries. Log Analytics uses BigQuery for SQL analysis, and log data can also be accessed in BigQuery alongside other business data. Google Cloud platform logs are ingested without setup; GKE workload logs are captured automatically, while the Ops Agent collects VM workload logs. Logs Router can send logs to external systems through Pub/Sub, and Cloud Storage can hold archives. Regional log buckets keep and process workload data in a selected region, with configurable access controls and retention. The service integrates with Cloud Monitoring, Error Reporting and Cloud Trace. Cloud Audit Logs records administrative activity and resource access, and its entries are immutable; the product page states 400 days of audit-log retention at no additional cost. Standard logging storage includes the first 50 GiB per project per month free, and new Google Cloud customers are offered $300 in credits. The listed deployment is cloud; platforms include API, Linux and web.
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.