Editorial take
Why it stands out
Grafana Loki should be positioned as both an OSS logging backend and a gateway into Grafana Cloud Logs, not as a standalone commercial SaaS with its own separate buying motion.
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Tool profile
Open-source log aggregation system for large-scale, label-based logging stacks with a strong managed path through Grafana Cloud Logs.
Open-source log aggregation
Grafana Loki deserves a place in the directory because it is one of the clearest default choices for teams building an open-source logging stack around Grafana and Prometheus-era patterns. The official documentation describes Loki as a set of open-source components that can be composed into a fully featured logging stack. That matters because Loki is not just a hosted logs product. It is a real infrastructure layer used by teams that want scalable log aggregation without defaulting to a legacy search-first architecture.
Its pricing story has two parts and needs to be framed carefully. The open-source software itself is free to adopt, while the managed buying motion lives inside Grafana Cloud Logs pricing. Grafana's official plans page currently shows a Free tier with 50 GB ingested per month and 14-day retention, Pro with a $19 per month platform fee plus $0.50 per GB ingested and 30-day retention for logs, and Enterprise as custom with a $25,000 annual minimum commit. That combination makes Loki especially useful for teams who want to start open-source and still keep a credible managed path available later.
Quick fit
Editorial take
Grafana Loki should be positioned as both an OSS logging backend and a gateway into Grafana Cloud Logs, not as a standalone commercial SaaS with its own separate buying motion.
What it does well
Primary use cases
Fit notes
Compare with
Pressure-test this pick against nearby alternatives.
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Pricing snapshot
Grafana Loki is open-source software, and managed pricing is sold through Grafana Cloud Logs. Grafana's official plans page currently shows Free at $0 with 50 GB of logs per month, Pro at $19/month platform fee plus $0.50 per GB ingested, and Enterprise as custom with a $25,000 annual minimum commit.
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Closer to application-runtime security and abuse-prevention tooling than to classic perimeter appliances.
