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Graylog vs SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Graylog
Ranking in Log Management
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server
Ranking in Log Management
30th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Graylog is 6.4%, up from 5.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server is 2.1%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

Peter Malaty - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 30, 2022
I can create pipelines, charts, and data maps anyway I like, but the solution needs a better live logging display and improved authentication
Graylog needs to improve their authentication. Their AD integration is really bad. When it comes to ACL's, access control lists, where you want to have different group memberships and control who gets access to what, it really could use major improvements. It seems like a beta authentication version that they came up with in a hurry and said, "Hey guys, we've got something going for you. Use it until we think of something later on." I believe their enterprise version has improved some of these features, but I use the open source version. The second thing would be the way they handle live logging. The fact that Graylog displays logs from the top down is just ridiculous. I've never seen anything that logs this way except for Graylog. I believe this is an issue because they have the selector going in that direction, so it would make sense that they have to implement it that way, but it's definitely not cool. When you're looking at Graylog's live logging, whether it's doing a one-second or five-second pull, you'll notice that new log lines are placed at the top of the screen, not the bottom of the screen. I find this ridiculous because normally when you're looking at logs anywhere, on Linux, even in Windows, you're going to see that the logs are generated at the bottom. That's one thing that Graylog definitely needs to improve. Graylog also needs to invest some time to improve the performance and how they handle the maintenance of Elasticsearch. An added feature I would like to see is the capacity to delegate most of the backend maintenance to the frontend UI. When you have somebody from the service desk working on the solution or somebody who's not a technical person, they could run some of the maintenance stuff directly from the UI. Another thing is something that I saw in LogDNA, where you could have a color based on log regex. For example, it would color the timestamps next to the log lines orange, make the source of the log purple, and then make the actual log content black. That would be very nice to see in Graylog.
Muhammad Anas - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 24, 2023
Shows login failures and server issues but search functions and filters could be improved
Kiwi Syslog shows login failures and server issues. I'm using version 9.8.1. It's deployed on-premises. There are four people in my organization who are using this solution. They're all infrastructure engineers The best thing about Kiwi Syslog is that it filters logs into different levels. It's…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Real-time UDP/GELF logging and full text-based searching."
"One of the most valuable features is that you are able to do a very detailed search through the log messages in the overview."
"The build is stable and requires little maintenance, even compared to some extremely expensive products."
"We run a containerized microservices environment. Being able to set up streams and search for errors and anomalies across hundreds of containers is why a log aggregation platform like Graylog is valuable to us."
"Graylog's search functionality, alerting functionality, user management, and dashboards are useful."
"Message forwarding through the in-built module."
"The solution's most valuable feature is its new interface."
"We have scaled from a single machine installation (a VM with a Graylog + ES + MongoDB) to (2 Graylog + 2 ES + 3 MongoDB). This was done smoothly with a minimal impact on logging."
"The best thing about Kiwi Syslog is that it filters logs into different levels."
"We are very happy with the stability of the solution."
"Simplicity is the most valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server is its performance and management. Additionally, the solution integrates well."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the alerting based on the security logs."
 

Cons

"There should be some user groups and an auto sign-in feature.​"
"Since container orchestration systems are popular and Graylog fits the niche well, perhaps they could officially support running in docker containers on Kubernetes as a StatefulSet as a use case. That way, the declarative nature of Kubernetes config files would document their best case deployment scenario-"
"The infrastructure cost is the main issue. I like the rest. If the infrastructure costs could be lower, it would be fantastic."
"Over six months, I had two similar issues where searches were performed on field "messages". It exhausted all the memory of the ES node causing an ES crash and a Graylog halt."
"More complex visualizations and the ability to execute custom Elasticsearch queries would be great."
"I hope to see improvements in Graylog for more interactivity, user-friendliness, and creating alerts. The initial setup is complex."
"The biggest problem is the collector application, as we wanted to avoid using Graylog Collector Sidecar due to its architecture."
"Graylog can improve the index rotation as it's quite a complex solution."
"I would like to see better search functions and better filters in the next release."
"SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server could improve by reducing the price."
"I would like to have email notifications for emergency logs."
"Technical support could definitely be better."
"I would like to see a more user-friendly and customizable dashboard."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is an open source version and an enterprise version. I wouldn't recommend the enterprise version, but as an open source solution, it is solid and works really well."
"We are using the free version of the product. However, the paid version is expensive."
"​You get a lot out-of-the-box with the non-enterprise version, so give it a try first."
"It's an open-source solution that can be used free of charge."
"Having paid official support is wise for projects."
"Consider Enterprise support if you have atypical needs or setup requirements.​"
"If you want something that works and do not have the money for Splunk or QRadar, take Graylog.​​"
"I am using a community edition. I have not looked at the enterprise offering from Graylog."
"We subscribe and pay directly on the website."
"The price of SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server could improve."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Government
15%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Graylog?
The product is scalable. The solution is stable.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Graylog?
We are using the free version of the product. However, the paid version is expensive.
What needs improvement with Graylog?
Since it's a free tool, I don't have much to say. Troubleshooting is important to me. The initial setup is complex. I hope to see improvements in Graylog for more interactivity, user-friendliness, ...
What needs improvement with SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server?
I would like to have the new logs visible in the background without the need to open a new browser. I would like to have email notifications for emergency logs.
 

Also Known As

Graylog2
Kiwi Syslog Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Blue Cross Blue Shield, eBay, Cisco, LinkedIn, SAP, King.com, Twilio, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Holy Cross Energy, West Texas A&M University, Medium Enterprise Industrial Manufacturing Company
Find out what your peers are saying about Graylog vs. SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.