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OpenObserve vs VictoriaLogs

OpenObserve: Single-binary Rust observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces as Parquet on object storage. VictoriaLogs: Log database from the VictoriaMetrics team: schemaless ingestion, LogsQL and low RAM and disk use.

key differences

  • Licensing: OpenObserve is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial); VictoriaLogs is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • Only OpenObserve has joins, role-based access.

choose openobserve for

  • +Self-hosted Datadog or Elastic replacement
  • +Kubernetes logs and traces on S3
  • +Small teams needing one observability tool
  • +Front-end RUM and session replay with backend logs

best at · Observability, Search, Time-series

choose victorialogs for

  • +Centralised application and Kubernetes logs
  • +Replacing an ELK stack to cut cost
  • +Debugging by trace or request ID across services
  • +Audit and security event retention

best at · Observability, Search, Time-series

OpenObserveSingle-binary Rust observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces as Parquet on object storage.
VictoriaLogsLog database from the VictoriaMetrics team: schemaless ingestion, LogsQL and low RAM and disk use.
overview
Primary model
Search Engine
Search Engine
Also supports
Time-Series, Columnar / OLAP
Time-Series, Columnar / OLAP
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
OpenObserve Inc.
VictoriaMetrics Inc.
First release
2023
2023
Latest version
1.1.2 (Oct 20, 2026)
1.53.0 (Oct 1, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
20.4
19.4
Rank
#156
#169
GitHub stars
22.5K
2.4K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 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
Single node, Distributed
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
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
SQL, PromQL
LogsQL
Client languages
–
–
Best for
Observability, Search, Time-series
Observability, Search, Time-series
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

OpenObserve vs VictoriaLogs: FAQ

What is the difference between OpenObserve and VictoriaLogs?

OpenObserve: Single-binary Rust observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces as Parquet on object storage. VictoriaLogs: Log database from the VictoriaMetrics team: schemaless ingestion, LogsQL and low RAM and disk use. Licensing: OpenObserve is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial); VictoriaLogs is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). Only OpenObserve has joins, role-based access.

When should I choose OpenObserve over VictoriaLogs?

Choose OpenObserve for self-hosted Datadog or Elastic replacement; kubernetes logs and traces on S3; and small teams needing one observability tool. Choose VictoriaLogs for centralised application and Kubernetes logs; replacing an ELK stack to cut cost; and debugging by trace or request ID across services.

Is OpenObserve or VictoriaLogs more popular?

OpenObserve ranks #156 on the WhichDB Score (20.4/100) and VictoriaLogs ranks #169 (19.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are OpenObserve and VictoriaLogs open source?

Yes. OpenObserve is open source. License: GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial. Yes. VictoriaLogs is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.