Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Sumo Logic Security 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

Sumo Logic Security
Ranking in Log Management
24th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (25th), Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR) (15th)
syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Sumo Logic Security is 0.3%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of syslog-ng is 2.6%, down from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

WilsonAitan - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers a single dashboard with customizable features and a cost-effective pricing structure
Sumo Logic Security offers a single dashboard and customization, which are the most valuable features. Additionally, it has a cost-effective structure because it is based on data storage and the number of scans, rather than uploading data. This cost model impacts the customers positively by offering a more straightforward pricing structure.
RyanVargas - PeerSpot reviewer
It's a user-friendly open-source solution that can replace or augment a commercial product in some cases
I rate syslog-ng 10 out of 10. It's free and easy to use. It has built-in tools that help us index the various logs sent to it. It's a solid log product. If you're looking for a SIEM solution, syslog-ng will work as a stopgap measure at beginning of the project. It can also work as an injector for a true SIEM solution. You can send all the logs to syslog-ng and forward all the data to the SIEM solution after you've cleaned up the data and got the pertinent information. It's a good front end for a commercial SIEM solution, which becomes more expensive as you load more data into it. I would highly recommend syslog-ng for that use case. However, if you lack the expertise, you might need to go with a cloud-based SIEM instead. You need some in-house expertise or an outside consultant to manage it and set it up.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"With this tool, we provide access to every developer team the ability to find errors, then they come to us and ask for specific help."
"We use it to ingest Windows domain controller logs. We use this to monitor if anyone is placed in particular administration groups that potentially shouldn't be. It helps us keep track of people."
"The Log Analytics platform is the most effective. If we cannot find the data in other tools, like email security or NDR, we can fetch those logs in the Log Analytics platform of Sumo Logic."
"The most valuable features of Sumo Logic Security are the rules, use cases, and ease of use. Additionally, the integration is straightforward and good GUI."
"We are able to diagnose problems before our customers."
"The tool has key features like operability. It will alert the admins whenever a device is onboarded."
"Scalability has been good for our needs. We haven't run into any scaling issues in regards to size so far."
"Sumo Logic is an easy solution to use. You can set it up very quickly, and it includes a lot of training videos."
"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."
"Syslog-ng has a separate config file in addition to the core configuration."
"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."
"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."
 

Cons

"There needs to be improvement on imported data which can be used within Sumo Logic to do more advanced queries."
"We would like the ability to drill down into a dashboard and get into deeper levels."
"The integration with multiple sources could be better."
"The correlation rules and log mapping are not as mature compared to other SIM tools like Splunk."
"It would be nice to have an improved ability to scroll through logs within a time frame. Right now, we can search for specific errors. However, if we want to look for "before and after" within a specific time frame, it's not easy using the tool. This would be an improvement."
"We would like to have some type of predefined setup for the logs, making the setup easier by default."
"In terms of improvement, feedback indicates there is a need for a local data center in my country. This is crucial to sell to the government and financial sectors as they require data retention within each country."
"In my opinion, this solution has a steep learning curve and requires practice if users to be able to use this tool very efficiently."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"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."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing has been cheaper than some of the competing tools, like Splunk."
"If we went to ELK Stack, which is open source, it would have been less costly, but it would have required more development from our side."
"I don't pay the bill. I've heard the AWS Marketplace pricing is high, but I like the value."
"The pricing is good. It's not an issue for us."
"Purchasing the solution through the AWS Marketplace is very easy."
"Storing logs in Sumo Logic Security is charged GB-wise, which is a little higher than other products."
"We chose to go through the AWS Marketplace because it makes it a lot easier when we bill our customers. Rather than having to get multiple different sources of information then correlate a monthly bill for our customers, it is just included in the AWS usage charges."
"Purchasing Sumo Logic through the AWS Marketplace was a simple step."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Log Management solutions are best for your needs.
848,253 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Sumo Logic Security?
Sumo Logic Security is a good solution for searching the logs and identifying the issues.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sumo Logic Security?
The pricing structure for Sumo Logic Security is based on two elements: data storage and the number of scans. This makes it more cost-effective because other solutions often include a third element...
What needs improvement with Sumo Logic Security?
In terms of improvement, feedback indicates there is a need for a local data center in my country. This is crucial to sell to the government and financial sectors as they require data retention wit...
What do you like most about syslog-ng?
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for syslog-ng?
The pricing is in the middle. I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap.
What needs improvement with syslog-ng?
There is room for improvement in terms of observability. Additionally, a possible new feature could be Kafka integration.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Find out what your peers are saying about Sumo Logic Security vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
848,253 professionals have used our research since 2012.