Kibana vs New Relic: What are the differences?

Kibana is an open-source data visualization tool, while New Relic is a SaaS-based application performance monitoring platform. Let's explore the key differences between them.

1. Integration with Elasticsearch: Kibana is tightly integrated with Elasticsearch, allowing users to easily visualize and analyze data stored in Elasticsearch. On the other hand, New Relic is primarily focused on monitoring and performance management, and while it does provide some integration capabilities, it is not as extensive as Kibana's.

2. Scope of Monitoring: Kibana is more suited for analyzing log and time-series data, providing detailed insights into system and application performance. It allows users to create various visualizations like dashboards, maps, and charts. In contrast, New Relic offers a broader scope of monitoring, covering application performance, user experience, infrastructure, and cloud services.

3. Pricing Model: Kibana is open-source and free to use, making it more cost-effective for organizations. However, it does require expertise in Elasticsearch and the maintenance of server infrastructure. New Relic, on the other hand, offers different pricing tiers based on the depth of monitoring required, making it suitable for organizations that require more comprehensive monitoring capabilities but at a higher cost.

4. Alerting and Notification: Kibana primarily relies on Elasticsearch Watcher for alerting and notification capabilities. It allows users to set up alerts based on predefined conditions and send notifications through various channels. New Relic, on the other hand, has a built-in alerting mechanism that is tightly integrated with its monitoring capabilities, providing more advanced alerting and notification features out-of-the-box.

5. Deployment and Scalability: Kibana can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, depending on the organization's preference and requirements. It provides scalability through Elasticsearch's distributed architecture. New Relic, however, is a cloud-based solution, offering easy deployment and scalability without the need for managing infrastructure.

6. Support and Documentation: Kibana has a large and active open-source community, providing extensive documentation, tutorials, and support forums. This allows users to find resources and solutions easily. New Relic provides dedicated customer support and has a comprehensive knowledge base, offering assistance to users in a more personalized manner.

In summary, Kibana is an open-source, tightly integrated solution with Elasticsearch, providing extensive monitoring and visualization capabilities. It is well-suited for log and time-series data analysis. New Relic, on the other hand, offers a broader scope of monitoring, integrated alerting mechanisms, and simplified deployment and scalability as a cloud-based solution.