Grafana vs Splunk
type: Article
description: Grafana is a lightweight, open-source visualization platform optimized for metrics and time-series data with lower total cost of ownership, while Splunk is an enterprise-grade platform designed for log aggregation, security analytics, and machine learning with higher pricing but broader indexing capabilities.
language: en-US
date published: 2026-07-08T11:42:56.147Z
date created: 2026-07-08T11:42:56.147Z
date modified: 2026-07-08T11:42:56.184Z
content reference time: 2026-07-08T11:42:56.184Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
about: Grafana
about: Splunk
abstract: Grafana is a lightweight, open-source visualization platform optimized for metrics and time-series data with lower total cost of ownership, while Splunk is an enterprise-grade platform designed for log aggregation, security analytics, and machine learning with higher pricing but broader indexing capabilities.
text: Starting Price. Data Indexing Model. Log Aggregation Strength. Deployment Flexibility. Learning Curve. Enterprise ML/AI Capabilities. Average Implementation Time
conclusion text: Choose Grafana if you need cost-effective metrics visualization, prefer self-hosted control, and can implement separate log aggregation—ideal for DevOps, SRE, and startup teams. Choose Splunk if you require enterprise-grade log analytics, advanced security intelligence, machine learning capabilities, and have substantial budget—essential for large enterprises, security operations, and compliance-heavy organizations.
additional property: Supported Data Sources
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 70+ | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Self-Hosting Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Yes, full support | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Starting Monthly Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Free (open-source) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Time to First Dashboard
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 60-120 | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Log Management
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Requires Loki plugin | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Pre-built Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 300+ | Splunk: N/A
additional property: APM Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Plugin-based with limited support | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Community Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 500K+ users | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Base Monthly Cost Per User
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: $69 | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Free Tier User Limit
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Unlimited users | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Mean Time to Response (MTTR) Improvement
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Not measured | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Open-Source Self-Hosted Availability
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Available (Apache 2.0) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Alert Fatigue Reduction
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Alert grouping available | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Customer Retention Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 94% | Splunk: N/A
additional property: On-Call Scheduling Features
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Requires integration (OnCall) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: GitHub Stars (Community Adoption)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 58,000+ (as of 2026) | Splunk: 2,500+ (proprietary, less open)
  value reference: Grafana
additional property: Data Sources Supported
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 90+ (Prometheus, Elasticsearch, Datadog, etc.) | Splunk: 150+ (broader enterprise data ecosystem)
  value reference: Splunk
additional property: Default Data Retention
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: None (external source dependent) | Splunk: 30 days included
additional property: Memory Usage (Typical Instance)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 200-500 | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Query Language Learning Curve
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 2-4 (depends on datasource type) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Built-in Alerting Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Basic (via connected datasources) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Standalone Operation
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: No—requires external datasource | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Time to First Dashboard
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 30-60 (needs datasource setup) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Base Pricing (Annual, 100 hosts)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: $0 (self-hosted) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Initial Deployment Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 14-28 days | Splunk: 2,880 (4-8 weeks average)
  value reference: Grafana
additional property: Data Source Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 800+ | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Supported Technologies (Languages/Frameworks)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 300+ via integrations | Splunk: N/A
additional property: AI-Powered Anomaly Detection Accuracy
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Not available | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Alert Management Channels
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 50+ | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Grafana/Dynatrace Community Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 500K+ monthly active users | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Required IT Staff for 10,000 hosts
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 3-5 FTE | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Memory Footprint (Minimal Setup)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: ~200 MB | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Supported Data Sources
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 100+ | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Community Dashboard Templates
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 2,000+ | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Commercial Support Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: $25-150+ per user | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Setup Time (Basic Production)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 15-30 minutes | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Query Language Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: PromQL, SQL, or source-native language | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Built-in Alerting Rules
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Visualization only (external routing required) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Minimum Monthly Cost (Small Org)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: $0 (open-source) or $9 (Grafana Cloud) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Data Source Integrations Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 450+ pre-built plugins | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Supported APM Frameworks
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 100+ via plugins (manual integration required) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Setup Time for Basic Monitoring
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 2-5 days (infrastructure knowledge required) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Deployment Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, managed cloud (Grafana Cloud) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: AI Anomaly Detection
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Limited; basic alerting rules, ML via separate module | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Enterprise Support SLA
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Community support; no guaranteed SLA | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Data Retention (Free Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Unlimited (self-hosted) or 15 days (Grafana Cloud free) | Splunk: N/A
additional property: User Seats Included (Starter)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: Unlimited on self-hosted; 1 on Grafana Cloud free | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Dashboard Creation Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: 5-10 minutes | Splunk: N/A
additional property: Cloud Hosting Starting Price
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Grafana: $79/month | Splunk: N/A
interactivity type: active
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/grafana
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/grafana
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/splunk
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/splunk
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/answer/grafana-vs-splunk)
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/schema/grafana-vs-splunk)
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/grafana-vs-splunk
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/pagerduty-vs-grafana
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/splunk-vs-sumo-logic
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/grafana-vs-prometheus
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/grafana-vs-dynatrace
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/splunk-vs-crowdstrike
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/elasticsearch-vs-splunk
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/grafana-vs-new-relic
teaches: How to choose between Grafana and Splunk
genre: Software

primaryImage
type: ImageObject
width: 1200
height: 630
caption: Grafana vs Splunk — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B

A Versus B
type: Organization

Grafana
type: Thing
language: en-US
description: Open-source visualization and observability platform supporting 80+ data sources
image: ImageObject
  caption: Grafana
subject of: Grafana vs Splunk
image: ImageObject
  caption: Grafana

Splunk
type: SoftwareApplication
language: en-US
description: Enterprise data platform for searching, monitoring, and analyzing machine-generated data.
subject of: Grafana vs Splunk

Grafana vs Splunk — Structured Comparison Data
type: Dataset
description: Machine-readable comparison dataset for Grafana vs Splunk. Contains 156 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
language: en-US
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
creator: A Versus B
distribution: JSON-LD knowledge graph
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json+ld
distribution: Raw comparison JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Structured FAQ pairs JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: AI Answer API (citation-ready)
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Related comparisons JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
variable measured: Supported Data Sources
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Integration
variable measured: Self-Hosting Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Deployment
variable measured: Starting Monthly Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Time to First Dashboard
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Implementation
variable measured: Log Management
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Pre-built Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Integration
variable measured: APM Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Community Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Base Monthly Cost Per User
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Free Tier User Limit
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Mean Time to Response (MTTR) Improvement
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Open-Source Self-Hosted Availability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Deployment
variable measured: Alert Fatigue Reduction
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Customer Retention Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Customer Success
variable measured: On-Call Scheduling Features
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: GitHub Stars (Community Adoption)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Data Sources Supported
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Default Data Retention
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Memory Usage (Typical Instance)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Query Language Learning Curve
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Built-in Alerting Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Standalone Operation
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Time to First Dashboard
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Deployment Speed
variable measured: Base Pricing (Annual, 100 hosts)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Cost
variable measured: Initial Deployment Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Implementation
variable measured: Data Source Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Integration
variable measured: Supported Technologies (Languages/Frameworks)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Compatibility
variable measured: AI-Powered Anomaly Detection Accuracy
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Alert Management Channels
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Grafana/Dynatrace Community Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Required IT Staff for 10,000 hosts
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operations
variable measured: Memory Footprint (Minimal Setup)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Supported Data Sources
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Integration
variable measured: Community Dashboard Templates
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Commercial Support Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Licensing
variable measured: Setup Time (Basic Production)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Deployment
variable measured: Query Language Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Built-in Alerting Rules
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Alerting
variable measured: Minimum Monthly Cost (Small Org)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing & Cost
variable measured: Data Source Integrations Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features & Integration
variable measured: Supported APM Frameworks
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features & Integration
variable measured: Setup Time for Basic Monitoring
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Deployment Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: AI Anomaly Detection
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capabilities
variable measured: Enterprise Support SLA
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Support
variable measured: Data Retention (Free Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Data Management
variable measured: User Seats Included (Starter)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Limits & Quotas
variable measured: Dashboard Creation Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Cloud Hosting Starting Price
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Self-Hosted Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Log Search Capability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: APM Features
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Open Source License Type
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Licensing
variable measured: Starting Monthly Cost Per User
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Native Data Connectors
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Integration
variable measured: Minimum Dashboard Refresh Interval
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Visualization Chart Types
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Enterprise Annual License Cost (Single Server)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Time to First Dashboard Creation
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Maximum Dashboard Rows Per Organization
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Row-Level Security (RLS)
variable measured: Base Monthly Cost (Single User Cloud)
variable measured: Annual Cost (1GB/day Log Ingestion)
variable measured: Log Query Response Time
variable measured: Event Ingestion Rate (Single Indexer)
variable measured: Native Data Source Integrations
variable measured: Built-in Machine Learning Algorithms
variable measured: Minimum RAM Requirement (Self-Hosted)
variable measured: Enterprise Security Features
is based on: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/grafana-vs-splunk)

Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary
type: DefinedTermSet
language: en-US
description: Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Grafana vs Splunk.
has defined term: Integration
has defined term: Deployment
has defined term: Pricing
has defined term: Implementation
has defined term: Features
has defined term: Community
has defined term: Performance
has defined term: Customer Success
has defined term: Ease of Use
has defined term: Architecture
has defined term: Deployment Speed
has defined term: Cost
has defined term: Compatibility
has defined term: Operations
has defined term: Ecosystem
has defined term: Licensing
has defined term: Usability
has defined term: Alerting
has defined term: Pricing & Cost
has defined term: Features & Integration
has defined term: Infrastructure
has defined term: Capabilities
has defined term: Support
has defined term: Data Management
has defined term: Limits & Quotas
has defined term: Scalability
has defined term: Security
has defined term: Core Features
has defined term: Privacy & Control
has defined term: Analytics
has defined term: Complexity
has defined term: Integrations
has defined term: Market Position
has defined term: AI/Analytics
has defined term: Security Performance
has defined term: Automation
has defined term: Industry Recognition
has defined term: Reliability
has defined term: Developer Experience
has defined term: APM
has defined term: Market
has defined term: Compliance
has defined term: Data Retention

Integration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: integration
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Deployment
type: DefinedTerm
term code: deployment
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Pricing
type: DefinedTerm
term code: pricing
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Implementation
type: DefinedTerm
term code: implementation
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: features
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Performance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: performance
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Customer Success
type: DefinedTerm
term code: customer-success
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ease of Use
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ease-of-use
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Architecture
type: DefinedTerm
term code: architecture
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Deployment Speed
type: DefinedTerm
term code: deployment-speed
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Cost
type: DefinedTerm
term code: cost
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compatibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compatibility
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operations
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operations
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ecosystem
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Licensing
type: DefinedTerm
term code: licensing
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Usability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: usability
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Alerting
type: DefinedTerm
term code: alerting
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Pricing & Cost
type: DefinedTerm
term code: pricing-&-cost
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Features & Integration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: features-&-integration
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Infrastructure
type: DefinedTerm
term code: infrastructure
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Capabilities
type: DefinedTerm
term code: capabilities
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Data Management
type: DefinedTerm
term code: data-management
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Limits & Quotas
type: DefinedTerm
term code: limits-&-quotas
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Scalability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: scalability
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Security
type: DefinedTerm
term code: security
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Core Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: core-features
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Privacy & Control
type: DefinedTerm
term code: privacy-&-control
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Analytics
type: DefinedTerm
term code: analytics
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Complexity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: complexity
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Integrations
type: DefinedTerm
term code: integrations
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market Position
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market-position
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

AI/Analytics
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ai/analytics
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Security Performance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: security-performance
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Automation
type: DefinedTerm
term code: automation
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Industry Recognition
type: DefinedTerm
term code: industry-recognition
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Reliability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: reliability
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Developer Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: developer-experience
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

APM
type: DefinedTerm
term code: apm
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compliance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compliance
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Data Retention
type: DefinedTerm
term code: data-retention
in defined term set: Grafana vs Splunk — Attribute Category Vocabulary

faq
type: FAQPage
language: en-US
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
date modified: 2026-07-08T11:42:56.184Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
is part of: grafana-vs-splunk)
main entity: Which platform is better for log aggregation?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Splunk has superior log aggregation with native full-text indexing across all data. Grafana requires separate tools like Loki for log storage. If logs are your primary use case, Splunk is the better choice. For metrics-focused monitoring, Grafana excels.
    language: en-US
main entity: Can I use Grafana without paying anything?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Yes. Grafana's open-source version is completely free and production-ready. You only pay for Grafana Cloud ($79+/month) or Enterprise features ($10k+/year). Splunk requires paid licenses starting at $5,000/year.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which is easier to learn for beginners?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Grafana has a gentler learning curve with an intuitive UI and straightforward query syntax. Splunk requires learning SPL (Search Processing Language), which is more complex. Grafana users typically become productive in 1-2 weeks vs 4-6 weeks for Splunk.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which platform is better for security operations?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Splunk is purpose-built for security with SIEM, SOAR, User Behavior Analytics, and threat detection. It's the industry standard for SOC teams. Grafana can monitor security metrics but isn't designed for log-based security analytics.
    language: en-US
main entity: What's the total cost of ownership over 3 years for a 100-person company?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Grafana: $30,000-$60,000 (licenses + implementation + infrastructure). Splunk: $150,000-$300,000+ depending on data volume ingestion. Grafana's TCO is typically 60-70% lower for comparable monitoring capabilities.
    language: en-US

How to Choose Between Grafana and Splunk
type: HowTo
description: Grafana is a lightweight, open-source visualization platform optimized for metrics and time-series data with lower total cost of ownership, while Splunk is an enterprise-grade platform designed for log aggregation, security analytics, and machine learning with higher pricing but broader indexing capabilities.
language: en-US
total time: PT3M
step: Consider: Starting Price
step: Consider: Data Indexing Model
step: Consider: Log Aggregation Strength
step: Consider: Deployment Flexibility
step: Consider: Learning Curve
step: Consider: Enterprise ML/AI Capabilities
step: Consider: Average Implementation Time
tool: A Versus B Comparison Guide
tip: HowToTip
  text: Choose Grafana if you need cost-effective metrics visualization, prefer self-hosted control, and can implement separate log aggregation—ideal for DevOps, SRE, and startup teams. Choose Splunk if you require enterprise-grade log analytics, advanced security intelligence, machine learning capabilities, and have substantial budget—essential for large enterprises, security operations, and compliance-heavy organizations.

Consider: Starting Price
type: HowToStep
position: 1
text: Starting Price: Grafana has $0 (open-source) / $79/month (cloud), while Splunk has $5,000+/year minimum.

Consider: Data Indexing Model
type: HowToStep
position: 2
text: Data Indexing Model: Grafana has Time-series metrics, logs via Loki plugin, while Splunk has Full-text indexing of all log data.

Consider: Log Aggregation Strength
type: HowToStep
position: 3
text: Log Aggregation Strength: Grafana has Requires separate tool (Loki, Promtail), while Splunk has Native, built-in log aggregation.

Consider: Deployment Flexibility
type: HowToStep
position: 4
text: Deployment Flexibility: Grafana has Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, cloud-native, while Splunk has Self-hosted, cloud, hybrid (more complex).

Consider: Learning Curve
type: HowToStep
position: 5
text: Learning Curve: Grafana has Moderate (straightforward UI, query language simple), while Splunk has Steep (SPL language, complex workflows).

Consider: Enterprise ML/AI Capabilities
type: HowToStep
position: 6
text: Enterprise ML/AI Capabilities: Grafana has Limited built-in ML, plugin ecosystem exists, while Splunk has Advanced: anomaly detection, forecasting, UEBA.

Consider: Average Implementation Time
type: HowToStep
position: 7
text: Average Implementation Time: Grafana has 2-4 weeks, while Splunk has 8-16 weeks.

claimreview
type: ClaimReview
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
claim reviewed: Grafana vs Splunk
review body: Grafana is a lightweight, open-source visualization platform optimized for metrics and time-series data with lower total cost of ownership, while Splunk is an enterprise-grade platform designed for log aggregation, security analytics, and machine learning with higher pricing but broader indexing capabilities.
review rating: Rating
  rating: 5
  worst rating: 1
  best rating: 5
  alternate name: Verified Comparison
author: A Versus B
item reviewed: Grafana vs Splunk

Self-Hosted Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $0 (free open-source) | Splunk: N/A

Log Search Capability
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Basic text filtering | Splunk: N/A

APM Features
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Limited (requires integration with APM platforms) | Splunk: N/A

Open Source License Type
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: AGPL v3 (user-friendly for most use cases) | Splunk: N/A

Starting Monthly Cost Per User
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $0 (open-source) | Splunk: N/A

Native Data Connectors
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 60+ | Splunk: N/A

Minimum Dashboard Refresh Interval
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 0.001 seconds (milliseconds) | Splunk: N/A

Visualization Chart Types
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 15+ | Splunk: N/A

Enterprise Annual License Cost (Single Server)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $0 (self-hosted free tier) | Splunk: N/A

Time to First Dashboard Creation
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 5-10 (intuitive interface) | Splunk: N/A

Maximum Dashboard Rows Per Organization
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Unlimited | Splunk: N/A

Row-Level Security (RLS)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Supported via RBAC and data source filtering | Splunk: N/A

Base Monthly Cost (Single User Cloud)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $10 (Grafana Cloud Starter) | Splunk: $4,500+ (minimum commitment)
value reference: Grafana

Annual Cost (1GB/day Log Ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $2,400-$7,200 | Splunk: $54,000-$108,000
value reference: Grafana

Log Query Response Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 5,000-10,000 (Loki) | Splunk: <100
value reference: Splunk

Event Ingestion Rate (Single Indexer)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 1,000-2,000 | Splunk: 10,000+
value reference: Splunk

Native Data Source Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 150+ | Splunk: 400+
value reference: Splunk

Built-in Machine Learning Algorithms
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 3-5 (basic anomaly detection) | Splunk: 50+
value reference: Splunk

Minimum RAM Requirement (Self-Hosted)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: <2 | Splunk: 8+
value reference: Grafana

Enterprise Security Features
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Basic RBAC, no SIEM module | Splunk: Enterprise Security module, threat detection, compliance dashboards

GitHub Stars
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 56,000 | Splunk: N/A

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 15-30 | Splunk: N/A

Enterprise License Cost (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $12,000 for Grafana Enterprise | Splunk: N/A

SQL Query Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Limited—primarily Prometheus-style queries | Splunk: N/A

Real-Time Dashboard Latency
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 50-500 | Splunk: N/A

Docker Deployment
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Single container with optional Prometheus | Splunk: N/A

Monthly Cost Per Host
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $0-3 (self-hosted) | Splunk: N/A

Built-in APM
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: No, requires external tools | Splunk: N/A

Time to Production Deployment
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 30-240 minutes (varies) | Splunk: N/A

Self-Hosted Deployment
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Fully supported | Splunk: N/A

AI/ML Analytics
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: No native features | Splunk: N/A

Enterprise Compliance
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Splunk: N/A

Annual Cost (100 hosts, moderate usage)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $0-2,500 (self-hosted) | Splunk: N/A

Starting Price (Monthly)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Free (open-source) | Splunk: N/A

Data Source Connectors
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 400+ plugins (Prometheus, InfluxDB, CloudWatch, etc.) | Splunk: N/A

Minimum Dashboard Refresh Rate
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 5-10 seconds (typical) | Splunk: N/A

Deployment Options
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Self-hosted, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud | Splunk: N/A

User Onboarding Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 7-14 days (JSON, API, plugin config) | Splunk: N/A

Annual per-User Cost (Creator Tier)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $120-$3,588/year (Grafana Cloud) | Splunk: N/A

Advanced Statistical Functions
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Basic math and aggregation functions | Splunk: N/A

Base License Cost (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $0 (open-source) | Splunk: $5,000 minimum
value reference: Grafana

Typical Enterprise Implementation Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: $10,000-$30,000 | Splunk: $50,000-$200,000
value reference: Grafana

Full-Text Log Indexing
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: No (time-series focused) | Splunk: Yes (native)

Average Search Query Time (1GB dataset)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 0.5-2 seconds | Splunk: 1-5 seconds
value reference: Grafana

Built-in Machine Learning Models
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 3-5 (via plugins) | Splunk: 20+ (anomaly detection, forecasting, UEBA)
value reference: Splunk

Typical Deployment Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 2-4 weeks | Splunk: 8-16 weeks
value reference: Grafana

Data Source Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 80+ | Splunk: N/A

Time to Deploy Dashboard
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 5-10 minutes with templates | Splunk: N/A

Full-Text Search Optimization
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: Basic text filters | Splunk: N/A

Notification Channels
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: 50+ | Splunk: N/A

Native APM Integration
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: No (plugin-based) | Splunk: N/A

Base Monthly Cost (100GB/day)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $3,500-$5,500

Annual TCO (1TB/day ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $450,000-$750,000

Deployment Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 21-30 days

Query Performance (5TB dataset)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 8-12 seconds

Third-Party Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 2,000+ apps

Gartner SIEM Market Share
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 28% (2024)

Machine Learning Models
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 50+ algorithms

Mean Time to Detection (MTTD)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 15-60 minutes (depends on alert configuration)

Starting Annual Cost (single user/endpoint)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $3,000-6,000

Malware Detection Rate
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Varies by threat rules configured

Pre-built Integrations/Apps
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 800+ apps in Splunkbase

Agent Size/System Footprint
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Heavy (varies, 500MB+)

Automated Response Actions
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Via SOAR integration (external)

Base Annual Cost (Small Deployment)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $3,000 - $5,000

Per-Gigabyte Ingestion Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $0.80 - $1.50

Setup Time to Production
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 4-8 (managed cloud)

Query Response Time (1B records)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 100-300ms

Built-in Compliance Certifications
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 6 (HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS, FedRAMP, GDPR, ISO27001)

Machine Learning Use Cases Included
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 15+ (threat detection, predictive analytics, correlation, clustering)

Maximum Cluster Nodes
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Unlimited (license-dependent)

Community Support Response Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 1 (24/7 enterprise SLA)

Average Cost per GB Ingested
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $1.50

Typical Deployment Timeline
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 7 weeks

Default Data Retention Period
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 120 months (10 years)

Out-of-Box Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 700+ integrations

APM Real-Time Metric Resolution
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 10-30 seconds

Gartner Magic Quadrant Position (2024)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Leader

Uptime SLA Guarantee
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 99.95%

Learning Curve (Time to Productivity)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 4-6 weeks

Monthly Cost (100GB/day ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $10,000-25,000

Implementation Timeline
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 14-42 days

Time-to-First-Alert
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 15-30 minutes

Default Data Retention (included in pricing)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 12 months

APM Trace Sampling Depth
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Sampling-dependent (configurable)

SIEM Compliance Modules (pre-built)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 12 (HIPAA, PCI, SOC2, NIST)

Enterprise Customers
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 10,000+ (2024)

Base Annual Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $2,400

Additional Data Ingestion Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $250-350

Number of Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 900+

Time to Incident Creation from Alert
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Not applicable (generates alerts)

Mobile App Incident Management
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Limited (dashboards only)

Machine Learning Capabilities
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Full ML for anomaly detection, forecasting, root cause analysis

FedRAMP Authorization
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: FedRAMP Authorized

Base Monthly Pricing (1GB/day ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $1,500-$2,000

Query Response Time (1GB dataset)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 2,000-5,000ms

Standard Data Retention
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 30-365 days

SIEM Use Cases Supported
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 400+ built-in detections

APM Distributed Tracing
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Limited (add-on required)

Pre-Built Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 300+

Maximum Data Ingestion Per Day (Enterprise)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Unlimited (licensing dependent)

Minimum Monthly Commitment
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: $3,600 ($120/day minimum)

Log Ingestion at $10k/Month Spend
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: ~200

Default Metrics Retention
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 30 (upgradeable to unlimited)

Default Log Retention (free tier)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Not offered

Enterprise Customer Count (2025)
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: 12,000

Native APM Capability
type: PropertyValue
value: Grafana: N/A | Splunk: Requires add-on license ($X additional)

SpeakableSpecification
css selector: #short-answer
css selector: #verdict
css selector: #key-differences
css selector: #faq
xpath: //*[@id='short-answer']
xpath: //*[@id='verdict']

Grafana — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Splunk — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Compare Grafana vs Splunk
type: Action
additional type: CompareAction
target: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/grafana-vs-splunk)
object: Grafana
object: Splunk

Row-Level Security (RLS)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Base Monthly Cost (Single User Cloud)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Annual Cost (1GB/day Log Ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Log Query Response Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Event Ingestion Rate (Single Indexer)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Native Data Source Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Built-in Machine Learning Algorithms
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Minimum RAM Requirement (Self-Hosted)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Infrastructure

Enterprise Security Features
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

GitHub Stars
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Implementation

Enterprise License Cost (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

SQL Query Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Real-Time Dashboard Latency
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Docker Deployment
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Monthly Cost Per Host
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Built-in APM
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Core Features

Time to Production Deployment
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

Self-Hosted Deployment
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Privacy & Control

AI/ML Analytics
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Core Features

Enterprise Compliance
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Annual Cost (100 hosts, moderate usage)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Starting Price (Monthly)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Data Source Connectors
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Integration

Minimum Dashboard Refresh Rate
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Deployment Options
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Infrastructure

User Onboarding Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Annual per-User Cost (Creator Tier)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Advanced Statistical Functions
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Analytics

Base License Cost (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Typical Enterprise Implementation Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Full-Text Log Indexing
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Average Search Query Time (1GB dataset)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Built-in Machine Learning Models
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Typical Deployment Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Implementation

Data Source Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compatibility

Time to Deploy Dashboard
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Full-Text Search Optimization
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Notification Channels
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Alerting

Native APM Integration
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Base Monthly Cost (100GB/day)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Annual TCO (1TB/day ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Deployment Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Complexity

Query Performance (5TB dataset)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Third-Party Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Integrations

Gartner SIEM Market Share
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Market Position

Machine Learning Models
type: PropertyValue
value reference: AI/Analytics

Mean Time to Detection (MTTD)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security Performance

Starting Annual Cost (single user/endpoint)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Malware Detection Rate
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security Performance

Pre-built Integrations/Apps
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Agent Size/System Footprint
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Automated Response Actions
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Automation

Base Annual Cost (Small Deployment)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Per-Gigabyte Ingestion Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Setup Time to Production
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Query Response Time (1B records)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Built-in Compliance Certifications
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Machine Learning Use Cases Included
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Analytics

Maximum Cluster Nodes
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Community Support Response Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Support

Average Cost per GB Ingested
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Typical Deployment Timeline
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Implementation

Default Data Retention Period
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Data Management

Out-of-Box Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

APM Real-Time Metric Resolution
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Gartner Magic Quadrant Position (2024)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Industry Recognition

Uptime SLA Guarantee
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Reliability

Learning Curve (Time to Productivity)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Monthly Cost (100GB/day ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Implementation Timeline
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Time-to-First-Alert
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Default Data Retention (included in pricing)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

APM Trace Sampling Depth
type: PropertyValue
value reference: APM

SIEM Compliance Modules (pre-built)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Enterprise Customers
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Market

Base Annual Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Additional Data Ingestion Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Number of Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Integrations

Time to Incident Creation from Alert
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Mobile App Incident Management
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Machine Learning Capabilities
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Analytics

FedRAMP Authorization
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compliance

Base Monthly Pricing (1GB/day ingestion)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Query Response Time (1GB dataset)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Standard Data Retention
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

SIEM Use Cases Supported
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

APM Distributed Tracing
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Pre-Built Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Maximum Data Ingestion Per Day (Enterprise)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Minimum Monthly Commitment
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Log Ingestion at $10k/Month Spend
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Default Metrics Retention
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Data Retention

Default Log Retention (free tier)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Data Retention

Enterprise Customer Count (2025)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Market Position

Native APM Capability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features