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18 Best Splunk Alternatives For Faster Web Monitoring

Choosing the right Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tool can be challenging. With so many options available, how do you find the best fit for your needs? This article reviews Splunk alternatives that can optimize your APM processes.

If you’re looking for numerous alternatives to simplify your APM tasks, Alerty's free APM is for you. It offers a user-friendly experience and helps you transition smoothly from Splunk to a more efficient, cost-effective option.

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Table of Contents

What Is Splunk?

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Splunk was established in the early 2000s by Eric Swan, Rob Das, and Michael Baum. They took their inspiration from cave spelunking and aimed to provide a way to explore information caves that are often present in organizations.

Splunk is a sought-after solution that focuses on maintaining the security and functionality of digital systems. This platform is a crucial tool for enterprise resilience and is widely trusted by renowned organizations worldwide.

Benefits of Using Splunk

  • Defend against threatening actors
  • Reduce downtime
  • Swiftly address any arising issues

Its impact-absorbing capabilities facilitate the rapid restoration of critical services, ensuring minimal disruptions during outages or cyber breaches.

Splunk's Extensive Support Ecosystem

Splunk boasts support from a vast network of over 2,200 partners and a community of around 13,000 active members. The platform provides a product and an entire ecosystem of support. With approximately 1,800 Splunk experts, you can rely on your operations according to your needs on tailored assistance to:

  • Configure
  • Deploy
  • Scale

Key Features of Splunk

  • Advanced Threat Detection: Uncover advanced threats and internal malice that may elude usual detection methods.
  • Extend Visibility to the Cloud: Transition to the cloud confidently, benefitting from Splunk’s comprehensive analytics-driven monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities for large-scale hybrid IT infrastructure.
  • Isolate Problems in Cloud-Native Environments: Streamline troubleshooting procedures within cloud-native setups to expedite issue resolution.

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Why Do People Look for Splunk Alternatives?

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Cost

One of the primary reasons people consider and choose Splunk alternatives is the cost associated with the platform. As data volumes grow, Splunk's licensing costs based on the amount of data ingested can become a significant expense for large organizations. This cost model may need to be revised for growing companies or startups looking for a more cost-effective solution.

Complexity

Another reason to look for Splunk alternatives is the platform's complexity. While Splunk is powerful, it comes with a steep learning curve, making it challenging for newcomers to fully grasp the platform's capabilities and write efficient SPL queries. Organizations may find the learning curve too steep and opt for a more user-friendly alternative.

Resource Intensive

Splunk can be resource-intensive, requiring dedicated hardware and personnel for effective management and maintenance. This resource-intensive nature can be a barrier for some organizations, especially those seeking a more streamlined and easy-to-manage monitoring solution.

Limited Free Tier

The free version of Splunk, or Splunk Enterprise Free, has data volume and feature limitations, which may need to be revised for some organizations. This limitation can prompt organizations to explore alternatives that offer more robust free tiers or trial versions.

Alerty for Application Performance Monitoring

If you're considering an alternative to Splunk for application performance monitoring, try Alerty. Alerty is a cloud monitoring service for developers and early-stage startups that offers application performance monitoring, database monitoring, and incident management.

Key Features

  • Supports NextJS, React, Vue, and Node.js
  • Monitors databases like Supabase, PostgreSQL, and RDS
  • Tracks CPU usage and memory consumption
  • Provides quick incident management
  • Offers Real User Monitoring (RUM)
  • Monitors services like Stripe API, OpenAI, and Vercel

Alerty uses AI to simplify setup, providing a cost-effective solution compared to competitors. It is designed for ease of use, allowing quick setup, and integrates with tools like Sentry, making it ideal for developers and small teams needing efficient, affordable monitoring. 

Catch issues before they affect your users with Alerty's free APM solution today!

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18 Best Splunk Alternatives for Faster Web Monitoring

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1. Alerty

Alerty is a cloud monitoring service for developers and early-stage startups, offering application performance monitoring, database monitoring, and incident management. It supports technologies to help developers identify and fix issues, including:

  • NextJS
  • React
  • Vue
  • Node.js

Alerty monitors databases such as Supabase, PostgreSQL, and RDS, tracking key metrics like CPU usage and memory consumption. 

Why Choose Alerty?

  • Quick incident management
  • Real User Monitoring (RUM) to optimize user experience
  • Universal Service Monitoring for dependencies like Stripe API, OpenAI, and Vercel
  • AI-driven setup for simplicity and cost-effectiveness
  • Designed for ease of use with quick setup
  • Integrates with tools like Sentry
  • Ideal for developers and small teams needing efficient, affordable monitoring

2. Datadog

Comparing Datadog vs Splunk, they are both powerful tools with similar capabilities. Datadog offers:

  • Cloud infrastructure
  • Application
  • Container
  • Network
  • Logs
  • Serverless monitoring capabilities

It is adaptable and efficient, providing users with a holistic observability solution and complete visibility into their application stack. 

Datadog Key Features

  • Data analysis features
  • Alerting mechanisms
  • Customizable dashboards
  • 21 individual solutions
  • Strong infrastructure monitoring
  • Notable cloud monitoring capabilities

3. Mezmo

Formerly known as LogDNA, Mezmo focuses entirely on log management, making it a great Splunk alternative for those utilizing Splunk’s log management solution. Mezmo offers the following:

  • Powerful logging & deployment models for on-premise
  • Cloud-based
  • Private
  • Hybrid environments

Its intuitive UI allows users to visualize data quickly and identify log groups using filters for key fields. Mezmo provides customization options with views, graphs, and custom dashboards for user-specific log events.

4. Loggly

Loggly is a cloud-based service ideal for log management, offering direct log transmission over HTTP/SYSLOG. It automatically parses formats and sources to make it a strong Splunk alternative for log management:

  • Linux Logs
  • Windows
  • Docker
  • AWS
  • Heroku
  • Syslog 

Noteworthy features include the field explorer, enabling search, filtering, and summarizing logs from a single view. Loggly is agentless, requiring preconfigured log-aggregating components to forward logs to its database.

5. Sumo Logic

Aimed at large corporations, Sumo Logic offers functionalities comparable to Splunk, making it a viable alternative. It provides security and observability solutions with cloud-based machine learning tailored to process big data. 

Sumo Logic's cloud-based observability platform is suitable for end-to-end monitoring and troubleshooting, offering: 

  • Pre-set alerts
  • Anomaly detection
  • Root cause analysis

6. Dynatrace

Dynatrace is an all-in-one monitoring platform focused on APM and UEM. It is a powerful enterprise-level website monitoring service that provides business-relevant metrics across various platforms. Dynatrace offers visibility across multiple digital channels, making it a well-designed Splunk alternative.

7. Amazon CloudWatch

Amazon CloudWatch is tailored for monitoring and observability, focusing on AWS resources like EC2 and RDS. It offers deep integration with other AWS services, streamlining monitoring within the AWS environment. Nevertheless, users looking for cross-platform observability may need supplementary tools, and businesses not heavily invested in AWS may find some CloudWatch features less impactful.

8. New Relic One

New Relic One is a telemetry data platform emphasizing real-time analytics with:

  • Unified dashboard integrating logs
  • Metrics
  • Traces

It offers AI-driven analytics to detect anomalies, although some users may find its myriad features overwhelming. Careful evaluation of the pricing model is necessary to ensure alignment with specific business needs.

9. Grafana

Grafana has evolved from a metric visualization tool to a holistic observability platform, with various plugins and third-party integrations for tailored observability experiences. Known for highly customizable dashboards, Grafana provides granular control over data representation, unlocking its full potential when paired with other dedicated data sources and tools.

10. Prometheus

Prometheus is an open-source monitoring and alerting platform known for reliability and scalability, and it is favored for monitoring Kubernetes ecosystems. It excels in collecting metrics and generating alerts through a flexible query language. Prometheus synergizes well with Grafana for visualization, although additional tools may be needed for complete observability coverage.

11. Logz.io

Logz.io offers a cloud-native observability solution building upon the ELK Stack and Grafana. Providing log analytics and metric visualization, Logz.io includes AI-driven features like Cognitive Insights for automated event detection. Users unfamiliar with the ELK Stack architecture may face a learning curve, and some may find it less comprehensive than full-fledged observability platforms.

12. Graylog

Graylog offers a log management solution based on Elasticsearch and MongoDB, enabling: 

  • Log collection
  • Centralization
  • Error tracing
  • Threat detection
  • Data analysis

It operates under different models, offering flexibility based on data handling needs:

  • Graylog Open (open-source, self-managed, free)
  • Graylog Operations
  • Graylog Security

Graylog features inputs for message collection, streams for pattern-matching records, and extractors for log data transformation.

13. Elastic Stack (ELK Stack)

The Elastic Stack, formerly the ELK Stack, is an open-source log management solution comprising:

  • Elasticsearch
  • Logstash
  • Kibana
  • Beats

This stack allows the following:

  • Data collection
  • Processing
  • Storage
  • Visualization
  • Analysis

With open-source components, the Elastic Stack provides access to a vast developer community and plugin libraries for extended capabilities. Still, setting up and configuring can be more complex than Splunk.

14. Better Stack

Better Stack is an observability platform with Logtail for log management and Better Uptime for monitoring and incident management. Logtail offers the following:

  • Data collection
  • Processing
  • Reporting

It ensures tighter security standards through ClickHouse-powered log management, maintaining data integrity during transit and storage.

15. Logstash

  • Open-source data processing tool
  • Focuses on data ingestion
  • Handles data transformation
  • Manages data forwarding
  • Integrates with the ELK Stack
  • Used for log management and analysis

It suits organizations seeking a cost-effective, open-source solution for transporting and preprocessing log data.

16. Nagios

Nagios Core is a well-established open-source monitoring solution known for its flexible and extensible architecture. Users can customize monitoring and alerting tools to meet diverse monitoring needs across different industries effectively.

17. Fluentd

Fluentd is an open-source data collection and transport tool focused on log and data forwarding and aggregation. Part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) ecosystem, Fluentd is suitable for organizations requiring lightweight, open-source solutions for log data transport to various destinations.

18. Appdynamics

AppDynamics monitors application performance, offering insights into:

  • Application behavior
  • User experience
  • Infrastructure dependencies

It is ideal for organizations prioritizing application performance monitoring, user experience optimization, and high-performing applications. AppDynamics excels in APM and cloud-native environments, making it a valuable alternative to Splunk.

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Criteria To Consider When Choosing a Splunk Alternative

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Unified Security and Observability

To navigate the complexities of application performance monitoring, it's crucial to consider various criteria before selecting a Splunk alternative. One vital aspect to look for is unified security and observability. 

A strong tool should offer the following:

  • Comprehensive view of IT infrastructure
  • Application performance monitoring
  • Database monitoring
  • Incident management

This unified approach is the bedrock of effective management and problem-solving.

Efficient Data Collection and Indexing

Another critical criterion to consider is efficient data collection and indexing. Choosing a tool that excels in collecting and indexing data from various sources is essential. This capability facilitates quick search and analysis, saving valuable time and resources. An efficient data collection process can significantly optimize your monitoring strategies.

Powerful Search and Analysis Tools

Focusing on powerful search and analysis tools is essential when considering a Splunk alternative. The alternative should have robust search and analysis features, allowing you to identify issues and trends swiftly. This capability enhances your decision-making processes, allowing you to address potential problems proactively.

Comprehensive Alerting and Reporting

The tool you opt for should offer a wide range of customizable alerts and reports. Comprehensive alerting and reporting features ensure you are always informed about critical events, enabling you to take timely actions to mitigate risks. These notifications play a vital role in maintaining the resilience of your digital systems.

Customization Options

Choose a solution that provides flexibility and customization options to tailor security measures to your organizational needs. Customization options allow you to fine-tune the monitoring processes and security mechanisms to align with your unique requirements, enhancing the efficacy of your overall monitoring strategy.

Scalability

Scalability is a fundamental criterion to prioritize when selecting a Splunk alternative. Ensure you opt for a platform that demonstrates exceptional scalability, adapting and expanding alongside the evolving demands of your digital systems. 

Without compromising performance or security, the platform should be capable of handling:

  • Increased data
  • Users
  • Transactions

Vendor Support and Community

When evaluating a platform for securing and maintaining your digital systems, thoroughly assess the support infrastructure provided by the vendor and the vibrancy of the associated community. A responsive and expert support team directly influences your ability to address issues swiftly and maintain your systems' resilience. A vibrant community can provide valuable insights and best practices to enhance your monitoring processes.

It's important to note that Alerty effectively covers all these core capabilities, integrating:

  • Logs
  • Metrics
  • Traces
  • Application monitoring

This consolidation significantly simplifies the observability process. It is a cost-effective solution, and you can start using Alerty for free, making it a compelling alternative to Splunk.

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Catch Issues Before They Affect Your Users With Alerty's Free APM Solution

Alerty is a cloud monitoring service designed to help developers and early-stage startups effectively monitor their applications' performance. The platform offers comprehensive features, including: 

  • Application performance monitoring
  • Database monitoring
  • Incident management
  • Support for technologies like NextJS, React, Vue, and Node.js.

Features and Capabilities of Alerty

Alerty offers monitoring capabilities for:

  • Databases like Supabase, PostgreSQL, and RDS to track CPU usage and memory consumption
  • Quick incident management
  • Real User Monitoring (RUM) to enhance the user experience
  • Dependencies such as Stripe API, OpenAI, and Vercel

AI-driven Simplified Setup and Integration

One of Alerty's key highlights is its use of artificial intelligence to simplify the setup process, making it easier for developers to get started quickly. The platform integrates with tools like Sentry, enhancing its usability for developers and small teams looking for efficient and affordable monitoring solutions.

Cost-Effective Solution for Developers and Small Teams

Alerty is designed to be a cost-effective alternative compared to other monitoring services in the market. By offering a free APM solution, developers can catch issues before they impact their users, ensuring a smooth user experience. The platform's emphasis on ease of use and quick setup makes it ideal for optimizing application performance without breaking the bank.

Developer-Friendly APM Solution

Alerty's focus on user experience, ease of use, and affordability makes it a compelling option for developers and early-stage startups seeking a reliable application performance monitoring solution. By leveraging AI-driven technologies and integrations, Alerty provides a comprehensive monitoring experience while remaining cost-effective and accessible to small teams and individual developers.

Try Alerty's free APM today and see how it can simplify your monitoring needs.

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