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VMware Aria Operations for Logs 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

syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
16th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware Aria Operations for ...
Ranking in Log Management
26th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of syslog-ng is 1.5%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Aria Operations for Logs is 1.4%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
syslog-ng1.5%
VMware Aria Operations for Logs1.4%
Other97.1%
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

OC
IT Infrastructure & Cloud Security Manager at Thux
Has ensured compliance by centralizing log data and supporting secure connections
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 think we can use other features of this tool in the future. In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it.
reviewer2668767 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Solution Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Dashboard personalization enhances troubleshooting capabilities
A valuable feature of VMware Aria Operations for Logs is its ability to allow personalization of dashboards and requests. This personalization capability is crucial because it helps tailor the tool to specific needs. It also has many effective features for log analysis, making it a competent tool despite not having a comprehensive comparison with other tools.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
"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."
"What I appreciate most about syslog-ng is its configuration; its C-style config is much easier to understand, read, and write than other popular solutions such as syslog or rsyslog."
"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."
"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."
"It provides multiple platforms, you can use a Windows Operating System, you can Mac, and you can use Linux on a particular server."
"The ability to narrow into a specific time to filter heavy hitters and anomalies is extremely valuable."
"VMware Aria Operations for Logs is a very stable product."
"The solution's simplicity, flexibility, and extensibility are valuable features as we can integrate everything in vRealize."
"The most valuable features are log centralization and long-term retention for logs."
"Log Insight correlates with the VMware product log. It can assemble the logs you want, making it easier to find the output, incident, or keyword you want to search."
"It gives the customer a quick overview, so they don't have to dig. There's a clear dashboard with many sensors in a single space. He gets a helicopter view of his environment, but he can investigate further if there are serious issues. It's pretty user-friendly."
"Another advantage of the solution is that it can also integrate with your network and other hardware and software devices, so you would be able to manage your entire IT estate using just one single tool which is vRealize Log Insight, so I would strongly recommend it to anyone thinking of purchasing the solution."
 

Cons

"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."
"In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it."
"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 always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"Customer service and support have declined. Six months ago, I would have rated it as an eight or nine. Currently, it feels more like a four, five, or six."
"The solution isn't user-friendly for admins."
"The response time and quality need improvement. It takes too long to prove a problem and get a solution."
"Log Insight should be better at dealing with audits and security logs."
"The solution is a very good tool, but it has a lot of limitations."
"The solution should be more user-friendly. The user interface and dashboard could be simplified."
"In vRealize login files, we have limitations regarding log partitions."
"The licensing cost for vRealize Log Insight is a little higher, so in terms of cost, it all depends upon what kind of environment you have."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
"I am not sure what the exact cost is. However, I believe the vRealize suite costs $2,500.00 per year."
"I think it is a reasonably priced product."
"It is not cheap. But it is worth it."
"The product's price is reasonable, but when it comes to SQL licensing, it's a bit expensive."
"The license cost for any other monitoring tool is too high compared to this product."
"Pricing is good because it is part of the suite package. It comes in a bundle for us."
"The pricing has been updated recently."
"Pricing could always be lower. If it were free, I would be more satisfied."
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise12
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for vRealize Log Insight?
The cost of using VMware Aria Operations for Logs was very high, around two to three million dollars, although the exact figure is uncertain. The price was proving to be too much, especially with t...
What needs improvement with vRealize Log Insight?
VMware Aria Operations for Logs is not a cost-effective tool. Changing any telemetry requires creating a new template, such as changes to the VM disk size. Always having to create a new template ma...
What is your primary use case for vRealize Log Insight?
I work as a Server Virtualization and Data Storage Solutions specialist for Debilisim. We use VMware products, and as an outsourced personnel, I transitioned our virtualization platform to Proxmox ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
vRealize Log Insight
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Wildlands Adventure Zoo, Medic Mobile, IBM, Seventy Seven Energy, Baystate Health, Osis, Oxford University, Columbia University, Siemens, Cardinal Health, Ashdod Port, Vasakronan, Sydney Adventist Hospital, University of Derby
Find out what your peers are saying about VMware Aria Operations for Logs vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.