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LogRhythm SIEM vs syslog-ng comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

LogRhythm SIEM
Ranking in Log Management
13th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
175
Ranking in other categories
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (8th)
syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
17th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of LogRhythm SIEM is 2.3%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of syslog-ng is 2.4%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
LogRhythm SIEM2.3%
syslog-ng2.4%
Other95.3%
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

SumitKumar20 - PeerSpot reviewer
Tool consistently aids in effective threat detection and monitoring but could benefit from improved log source management and resource optimization
One major area for improvement in LogRhythm SIEM is the lack of volume measurement capability in terms of storage. There is currently no way to determine how much data is being consumed in terms of gigabytes, terabytes, or petabytes from particular devices or environments. This information is crucial for planning future storage needs and scalability. The system monitor (collector) agent has issues with resource consumption. Even when not actively collecting data, the agent continues to consume significant CPU and memory resources, which can be particularly problematic for small business environments with limited resources. LogRhythm SIEM could improve by adding more default device support. While they have good default settings for devices such as Palo Alto firewalls, custom log sources often require extensive work. Increasing the number of supported devices with built-in policies and functionality would reduce the need for custom work. Competitive SIEM tools often provide more comprehensive coverage for various devices and vendors.
RyanVargas - PeerSpot reviewer
It's a user-friendly open-source solution that can replace or augment a commercial product in some cases
I rate syslog-ng 10 out of 10. It's free and easy to use. It has built-in tools that help us index the various logs sent to it. It's a solid log product. If you're looking for a SIEM solution, syslog-ng will work as a stopgap measure at beginning of the project. It can also work as an injector for a true SIEM solution. You can send all the logs to syslog-ng and forward all the data to the SIEM solution after you've cleaned up the data and got the pertinent information. It's a good front end for a commercial SIEM solution, which becomes more expensive as you load more data into it. I would highly recommend syslog-ng for that use case. However, if you lack the expertise, you might need to go with a cloud-based SIEM instead. You need some in-house expertise or an outside consultant to manage it and set it up.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"We have to be able to show the evidence, and LogRhythm does a great job of putting it forward and making it easy to create reports with nice looking dashboards, which show off what we are doing as a security program."
"The user interface is good."
"We use this solution to examine disparate log sources and provide a cohesive method to search for anomalous behavior."
"It's very easy to create the correlation rules with LogRhythm, and there are some advanced features like SIEM and UEBA, which are also very valuable."
"LogRhythm SIEM has some valuable features, including its ability to maintain backups of events and manage alerts separately through an engine that handles content and administration tasks."
"The most valuable feature is that we can alternate incident automations."
"The feature that makes it usable is the web interface."
"When it comes to dealing with support, all my interactions have been great. Everyone has known what they're doing and have been quick to respond. They seem to always know the answer. I haven't stumped anybody yet."
"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
"For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior."
"We chose syslog-ng because it is easy to install, easy to maintain, easy to update, and due to the fact that all data arrive in raw format, we can manipulate it as we want."
"Syslog-ng has a separate config file in addition to the core configuration."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"Syslog-ng provides easy access to all my logs. It helps me show managers and other clients precisely where an incident occurred. I also like it because you can integrate syslog-ng with multiple solutions to allow real-time monitoring."
 

Cons

"I have probably submitted half a dozen log parser requests, and I keep finding more stuff that we need to keep an eye on that doesn't have a definition in LogRhythm."
"More detail in the alerts given to avoid additional searches, as often the source or destination associated with the alert is not evidenced."
"The user interface needs improvement. The more the user can slide around and know what's going on, the better it will be."
"We have run into problems with stability going through upgrade processes. Recently, we have been on the front edge of the upgrade path. When that happens we tend to run into issues either with certain functionality not working after the upgrades or stability issues because of the upgrades."
"We do about 750 million a day and some days we do 715 million. Some days we do 820 million or 1.2 billion. But there's no way to drill in and find out: "Where did I get 400,000 extra logs today?" What was going on in my environment that I was able to absorb that peak? I have no way to identify it without running reports, which will produce a long-running PDF that I have to somehow compare to another long-running PDF... I would like to see like profiling behavior awareness around systems like they've been gunned to do around users with UEBA."
"One of the challenges of the SIEM for the LogRhythm 7 platform is the amount of time it takes to bring new log sources into the MDI."
"The security playbook could be pre-defined and available to other analysts with similar security issues."
"It is a product that is very hard to use."
"It's hard to find people who know how to use syslog-ng. I often find problems with configurations, and solutions aren't integrated correctly with syslog-ng. For example, there might be data with extra decimals, or the collector agents are incorrectly named. It isn't a problem with the solution; it's a lack of professionals."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the pricing 4 out of 5. There are no additional costs to the standard licensing fees."
"If you don't have your staff, absolutely look into the co-pilot and factor that into your cost evaluation."
"I would recommend talking to the rep. That's the biggest thing because they will know what questions to ask."
"On a scale of one to ten, I'd rate the pricing of this solution as a seven - not too expensive but not cheap either. Regarding licensing costs, it varies depending on factors like being a partner or an end user, but there are no additional costs aside from standard licensing fees for the basic SIEM solution."
"Look for whatever will give you the most value. That's the main point. It is not one size fits all."
"It is a very cost-effective solution."
"LogRhythm's licensing is based on MPS. There are some add-on features like advanced UEBA, the cloud component for advanced UEBA, and SIEM."
"I think the tool is reasonably priced. There is a need to pay per year towards the licensing costs of the tool."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise38
Large Enterprise83
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is the difference between log management and SIEM?
Rony, Daniel's answer is right on the money. There are many solutions for each in the market, a lot depends upon your ability to manage such tools and your budget. A small operation may be best s...
What needs improvement with LogRhythm NextGen SIEM?
One major area for improvement in LogRhythm SIEM is the lack of volume measurement capability in terms of storage. There is currently no way to determine how much data is being consumed in terms of...
What do you like most about LogRhythm SIEM?
I find LogRhythm's log management capabilities to be beneficial.
What needs improvement with syslog-ng?
We currently do not use that feature. We currently have just an open-source release, not a premium release. My boss has indicated that he wants to buy a premium syslog-ng version next month. I thin...
What is your primary use case for syslog-ng?
In Italy, we have to be compliant with the Garante for privacy. We have to log every login, logout, or login failure made by a system administrator. We store all syslog data of the infrastructure. ...
What advice do you have for others considering syslog-ng?
When it comes to parsing, I can parse both structured and unstructured data, though our data are only structured. Currently, we collect all data we receive as raw data. Each file is stored for each...
 

Also Known As

LogRhythm NextGen SIEM, LogRhythm, LogRhythm Threat Lifecycle Management, LogRhythm TLM
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Macy's, NASA, Fujitsu, US Air Force, EY, Abbott, HD Supply, SAB Miller, UCLA, Raytheon, Amtrak, Cargill
Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Find out what your peers are saying about LogRhythm SIEM vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.