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Grafana Loki vs SigNoz

Grafana Loki: Label-indexed log aggregation: Prometheus-style streams, chunks on object storage, LogQL queries. SigNoz: OpenTelemetry-native APM and observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces in ClickHouse.

key differences

  • Grafana Loki is primarily a time-series database; SigNoz is columnar / OLAP.
  • Licensing: Grafana Loki is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0); SigNoz is open source (permissive) (MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory).
  • Grafana Loki is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than SigNoz (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only SigNoz has joins, columnar storage, role-based access.

choose grafana-loki for

  • +Kubernetes and application logs alongside Prometheus
  • +Cost-efficient log retention on S3
  • +Deriving metrics and alerts from log lines
  • +Correlating logs with traces in Grafana

best at · Observability, Time-series

choose signoz for

  • +Self-hosted Datadog or New Relic replacement
  • +OpenTelemetry backend for microservices
  • +APM with trace-to-log correlation
  • +Kubernetes infrastructure monitoring

best at · Observability, Real-time analytics

Grafana LokiLabel-indexed log aggregation: Prometheus-style streams, chunks on object storage, LogQL queries.
SigNozOpenTelemetry-native APM and observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces in ClickHouse.
overview
Primary model
Time-Series
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
–
Time-Series
Type
Database engine
Backend platform
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Grafana Labs
SigNoz Inc.
First release
2018
2021
Latest version
3.7.9 (Oct 20, 2026)
0.147.0 (Oct 22, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GNU AGPL v3.0
Open source (permissive)MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
28.7
17.0
Rank
#96
#195
GitHub stars
29.1K
32.5K
Stack Overflow questions
643
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
None
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Single node, Distributed, Shared storage
Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
AWS
capabilities
Transactions
—
—
Joins
—
✓
Secondary indexes
—
—
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
✓
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
✓
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
—
—
Role-based access
—
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
✓
✓
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
LogQL
SQL (ClickHouse), PromQL, Query builder
Client languages
–
–
Best for
Observability, Time-series
Observability, Real-time analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Grafana Loki vs SigNoz: FAQ

What is the difference between Grafana Loki and SigNoz?

Grafana Loki: Label-indexed log aggregation: Prometheus-style streams, chunks on object storage, LogQL queries. SigNoz: OpenTelemetry-native APM and observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces in ClickHouse. Grafana Loki is primarily a time-series database; SigNoz is columnar / OLAP. Licensing: Grafana Loki is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0); SigNoz is open source (permissive) (MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory). Grafana Loki is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than SigNoz (≤ 1 PB).

When should I choose Grafana Loki over SigNoz?

Choose Grafana Loki for kubernetes and application logs alongside Prometheus; cost-efficient log retention on S3; and deriving metrics and alerts from log lines. Choose SigNoz for self-hosted Datadog or New Relic replacement, OpenTelemetry backend for microservices and APM with trace-to-log correlation.

Is Grafana Loki or SigNoz more popular?

Grafana Loki ranks #96 on the WhichDB Score (28.7/100) and SigNoz ranks #195 (17.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Grafana Loki and SigNoz open source?

Yes. Grafana Loki is open source. License: GNU AGPL v3.0. Yes. SigNoz is open source. License: MIT (core) with separately licensed enterprise directory.