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ArcSight Logger vs syslog-ng comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

ArcSight Logger
Ranking in Log Management
45th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
17th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of ArcSight Logger is 0.9%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of syslog-ng is 2.0%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
syslog-ng2.0%
ArcSight Logger0.9%
Other97.1%
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

MA
Sr. Cybersecurity Consultant IT/OT at EJADA
Compliance and cost-effectiveness have improved while critical infrastructure security adapts to evolving needs
ArcSight Logger fulfills compliance requirements and passes audit requirements. It is one of the Aramco standards requirements and is recommended by Aramco for any implementation. Aramco, SABIC, water companies, and electricity companies are critical infrastructure with air-gapped networks. In an air-gapped network, there is no communication going out from that network area to the outside world, even to the corporate network. ArcSight Logger is installed on minimal resources with minimal requirements. There are not many upgrades or new features that come up frequently, though they do occur occasionally.
OC
IT Infrastructure & Cloud Security Manager at Thux
Has ensured compliance by centralizing log data and supporting secure connections
We currently do not use that feature. We currently have just an open-source release, not a premium release. My boss has indicated that he wants to buy a premium syslog-ng version next month. I think we can use other features of this tool in the future. In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The technical support team is good...It is a scalable solution."
"It's a robust, mature product and you can do some really complex operations and analytics."
"ArcSight's robustness is its most valuable feature."
"In our country we are a little bit private in terms of solutions, so we are just starting to use the basic data capture. Now some users can start to use additional features that come with Micro Focus ArcSight like user behavior analytics for investigating."
"We haven't had any crashes or bugs. It is stable."
"The solution provides information about the risk factors."
"The ability to customize the solution in great detail is its most valuable features. We can customize the use cases and also have the ability to do scripting. We can personalize our dashboard as well. The scalability the solution offers is quite impressive."
"Some of the most valuable features I really appreciate are the performance, how quick the solution is, and how easy it is to create a query."
"Syslog-ng has a separate config file in addition to the core configuration."
"For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior."
"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"Syslog-ng provides easy access to all my logs. It helps me show managers and other clients precisely where an incident occurred. I also like it because you can integrate syslog-ng with multiple solutions to allow real-time monitoring."
"What I appreciate most about syslog-ng is its configuration; its C-style config is much easier to understand, read, and write than other popular solutions such as syslog or rsyslog."
"We chose syslog-ng because it is easy to install, easy to maintain, easy to update, and due to the fact that all data arrive in raw format, we can manipulate it as we want."
 

Cons

"The initial setup was a little bit complex."
"It's not a new product and is a bit complex. So, it requires a person dedicated to working on it and to know about it in and out. It is a huge product, and the search operation is a bit complicated for a new user or someone who has not used it for long. So for that person, it becomes a bit difficult."
"ArcSight has been sold two or three times, and the quality has decreased."
"The next release should have AI capabilities."
"Using the ArcSight Logger dashboard is not particularly intuitive or efficient, so it is important to be trained in its use."
"It would be better if the product is cheaper."
"I think the ArcSight team should try to simplify legacy products for the customers, because that product is not easy to use or to work with. It needs more more competency or appeal to use. We hope Micro Focus is trying to resolve this."
"It is really difficult to work in ArcSight Logger, as it is very slow."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
"It's hard to find people who know how to use syslog-ng. I often find problems with configurations, and solutions aren't integrated correctly with syslog-ng. For example, there might be data with extra decimals, or the collector agents are incorrectly named. It isn't a problem with the solution; it's a lack of professionals."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the product a seven out of ten since it's an enterprise product."
"We have a lifetime license, so we don't pay a monthly fee."
"Pricing is reasonable compared to similar tools on the market. They offer perpetual licenses."
"I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is inexpensive, and ten is expensive."
"It's not cheap at all as it's a big product and has been in the market for quite some time now."
"The pricing is quite harsh."
"ArcSight is an expensive solution."
"ArcSight Logger is very expensive compared to their competitors, but when we talk to the customer and explain what the features are and how we can scale, they understand. Still, ArcSight is more expensive than the competition."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Healthcare Company
6%
Government
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise16
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ArcSight Logger?
We have a trigger. So, Logger automatically blocks these IP addresses. We could have Logger put them on a blacklist.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ArcSight Logger?
The pricing isn't the problem. We have a lifetime license, so we don't pay a monthly fee.
What needs improvement with ArcSight Logger?
This decision is made by higher management as they don't want to have multiple solutions for one solution. ArcSight Logger themselves don't provide good support, but companies such as ours provide ...
What needs improvement with syslog-ng?
We currently do not use that feature. We currently have just an open-source release, not a premium release. My boss has indicated that he wants to buy a premium syslog-ng version next month. I thin...
What is your primary use case for syslog-ng?
In Italy, we have to be compliant with the Garante for privacy. We have to log every login, logout, or login failure made by a system administrator. We store all syslog data of the infrastructure. ...
What advice do you have for others considering syslog-ng?
When it comes to parsing, I can parse both structured and unstructured data, though our data are only structured. Currently, we collect all data we receive as raw data. Each file is stored for each...
 

Also Known As

Micro Focus Arcsight Logger, HPE Arcsight Logger
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

China Merchants Bank, Bank AlJazira, Banca Intesa
Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Find out what your peers are saying about ArcSight Logger vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
880,954 professionals have used our research since 2012.