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Logflare vs Papertrail(2026)

Logflare is better for teams that need sql queries over your logs. Papertrail is the stronger choice if simple and fast. Logflare is freemium (from $9/month) and Papertrail is freemium (from $7/month).

Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.

By Bikram Nath

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Logflare logo

Logflare

freemium

Logflare stores logs in Google BigQuery for long-term retention and SQL-queryable log analytics.

Starting at $9/month

Visit Logflare
Papertrail logo

Papertrail

freemium

Papertrail is a hosted log management service with real-time log tailing, alerts, and search — owned by SolarWinds.

Starting at $7/month

Visit Papertrail

How Do Logflare and Papertrail Compare on Features?

FeatureLogflarePapertrail
Pricing modelfreemiumfreemium
Starting price$9/month$7/month
BigQuery backend✓—
SQL log queries✓—
Real-time streaming✓—
Cloudflare Workers integration✓—
Supabase built-in✓—
Long retention✓—
Real-time log tailing—✓
Alerts—✓
Search—✓
Syslog support—✓
Log archiving—✓
Team access—✓

Logflare Pros and Cons vs Papertrail

L

Logflare

+SQL queries over your logs
+Long retention via BigQuery
+Supabase integration
+Cost-effective at scale
−BigQuery dependency
−Smaller community
−Less polished UI vs Axiom
P

Papertrail

+Simple and fast
+Real-time search
+Good for small teams
+Generous free tier
−Short retention on free tier
−No APM features
−Owned by SolarWinds (trust issues for some)

Should You Use Logflare or Papertrail?

For most teams, Logflare is the better default: it offers sql queries over your logs and is freemium (from $9/month). Choose Papertrail instead if simple and fast matters more than bigquery dependency. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value sql queries over your logs or simple and fast more.

Choose Logflare if…

  • •SQL queries over your logs
  • •Long retention via BigQuery
  • •Supabase integration

Choose Papertrail if…

  • •Simple and fast
  • •Real-time search
  • •Good for small teams

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