CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Graylog vs Splunk

Graylog sells SIEM and log management. Splunk sells a data platform for security, observability, and AI, and says the platform unifies petabyte-scale machine data wherever it lives. CISO Tribune files both under SIEM. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Graylog
  • Splunk
Graylog vs Splunk: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
GraylogGraylog sells SIEM and log management.graylog.orgSplunkSplunk sells a data platform for security, observability, and AI, and says the platform unifies petabyte-scale machine data wherever it lives.splunk.com
What it sells
  • Graylog Enterprise[3][5][6]Log management and compliance for operations teams.
  • Graylog Security[3][6]SIEM for lean security teams.
  • Splunk Cloud Platform[12][22][23][24]A platform to collect, index, and visualize data in the cloud.
  • Splunk Enterprise[1][12][14][17][18][22][24]A platform to collect, index, and visualize data using an on-premises engine.
  • Splunk Enterprise Security[1][14][17][18]A Splunk solution for security operations.
  • Federated Search[15][19]A search layer across the data estate.
  • Splunk AI Assistant[19]A natural-language entry point to the search workflow.
  • Splunk Edge Processor[21]A processor that applies cryptographic functions to data as it flows on-premises.
  • Splunk AI Toolkit[20]Guided workflows to build and deploy models.
  • Splunk Log Observer Connect[22]An integration that links logs to Splunk Observability Cloud.
Categories
Headquarters
Houston, United States[2]San Jose, United States[4]
Founded
Not stated on its pages2003[3]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesOwned by Cisco[2][15][16][25]
Named customers
Not stated on its pages
Recent news
  • October 13, 2026Graylog launched the Verascend Incident System together with Graylog v7.2, which turns correlated, risk-scored events into prioritized cases.[9]
  • March 18, 2026Graylog announced advances in explainable AI and automated investigation workflows aimed at small-to-mid-sized security teams.[8]
  • September 15, 2026Cisco released Cisco AI POD for Splunk, which brings Splunk AI features to on-premises customers on Cisco infrastructure with NVIDIA computing.[10]
  • May 28, 2026Splunk reported that Cisco has completed its acquisition of Galileo, with plans to integrate Galileo technology into Splunk Observability.[25]
  • April 9, 2026Cisco agreed to buy AI observability startup Galileo Technologies to add its agent monitoring tools to the Splunk observability platform.[11]
  • February 18, 2026Splunk announced that its hosted AI models are generally available for Splunk Cloud Platform customers.[23]
  • January 16, 2026Splunk announced the release of Splunk Enterprise 10.2 and Splunk Cloud Platform 10.2.[24]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen October 25, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[16]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Graylog sells mainly to lean teams covering security, IT, and audit. Graylog Enterprise is aimed at operations teams needing enterprise-grade log management and compliance, and Graylog Security at lean security teams needing a SIEM. Deployment can be cloud-native, on-premises, or hybrid, and Graylog names GDPR and DORA data residency requirements among the needs it addresses.From its own pages, Splunk sells mainly to organisations that want security, observability, and AI data on one platform. Splunk describes SOC teams that index authentication and firewall data for real-time detections. Splunk describes a healthcare organization that monitors logs from medical devices. Splunk offers material for CISOs and boards on priorities, budgeting, compliance, and success metrics. Splunk describes deployments on Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform.
Last verified
November 9, 2026October 10, 2026

Where they overlap

  • SIEM is the primary category of both Graylog and Splunk.
  • Both are headquartered in the United States.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Graylog is also filed under AI SOC analysts. Splunk is also filed under SOAR and security automation and Security data lakes and pipelines.
  • Graylog lists Graylog Enterprise and Graylog Security. Splunk lists Splunk Cloud Platform, Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Federated Search, Splunk AI Assistant and 3 more.
  • Graylog is headquartered in Houston, United States. Splunk is headquartered in San Jose, United States.
  • Splunk was founded in 2003.
  • Splunk is owned by Cisco.
  • Splunk publicly names Carrefour, Intel, FINRA, Alaska Airlines and Honda of Alabama.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files Graylog under SIEM and AI SOC analysts, and Splunk under SIEM, SOAR and security automation, and security data lakes and pipelines; both have SIEM as the primary category. Graylog is headquartered in Houston, United States, while Splunk is headquartered in San Jose, United States. Splunk was founded in 2003 and is owned by Cisco. Graylog started in 2009 as an open source log management project and later became a SIEM on the same codebase.

Graylog sells two editions: Graylog Enterprise for log management and compliance for operations teams, and Graylog Security, a SIEM for lean security teams. Graylog Enterprise runs cloud-native, on-premises, or hybrid, and includes a built-in data lake that stores years of logs on AWS or Azure Blob. Splunk sells a broader set of products, including Splunk Cloud Platform, Splunk Enterprise for an on-premises engine, Splunk Enterprise Security, Federated Search, and Splunk AI Assistant. Splunk describes its platform as covering security, observability, and AI. Both companies describe AI features: Graylog offers a report writing AI agent and MCP server integration, and Splunk describes a Triage Agent in alpha and an Automation Builder Agent in alpha.

Splunk publicly names Carrefour, Intel, FINRA, Alaska Airlines, and Honda of Alabama as customers. Graylog says it sells mainly to lean teams covering security, IT, and audit, and it names GDPR and DORA data residency among the needs it addresses. On September 15, 2026, Cisco released Cisco AI POD for Splunk, which brings Splunk AI features to on-premises customers on Cisco infrastructure with NVIDIA computing.

What it sells: Graylog

What Graylog Enterprise does[3][5][6]
Graylog Enterprise is for operations teams needing enterprise-grade log management and compliance. It runs cloud-native, on-premises, or hybrid with full feature parity across every deployment model. It includes a built-in data lake that stores years of logs on AWS or Azure Blob without counting against the license.
What Graylog Security does[3][6]
Graylog Security is for lean security teams needing security information and event management (SIEM). A single Graylog Consumption Unit can be redeemed for 20 GB of Graylog Security.

What it sells: Splunk

What Splunk Cloud Platform does[12][22][23][24]
Splunk Cloud Platform is described as a way to collect, index, and visualize data in the cloud. Splunk says data can be brought in with agents, Splunk-supported integrations, and developer add-ons.
What Splunk Enterprise Security does[1][14][17][18]
Splunk names Splunk Enterprise Security among its solutions that use pre-written macros. Splunk describes AI Assistant in Security as available to cloud customers of Splunk Enterprise Security.
What Federated Search does[15][19]
Federated Search is described as the unifying search layer across the data estate. It covers Splunk-managed locations and supported customer-managed stores such as Amazon S3 and Snowflake.
What Splunk AI Assistant does[19]
Splunk AI Assistant provides a natural-language entry point to the search workflow. With Agent Mode enabled, an analyst can describe the investigation to perform instead of constructing each search.

Questions about Graylog and Splunk

What do Graylog and Splunk sell?
Graylog sells Graylog Enterprise and Graylog Security. Splunk sells Splunk Cloud Platform, Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Enterprise Security, Federated Search, Splunk AI Assistant and 3 more.
Are Graylog and Splunk in the same category?
Yes. SIEM is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Where are Graylog and Splunk headquartered?
Graylog is headquartered in Houston, United States. Splunk is headquartered in San Jose, United States.
When were Graylog and Splunk founded?
Splunk was founded in 2003.
Who owns Graylog and Splunk?
Splunk is owned by Cisco.
Which customers do Graylog and Splunk name?
Splunk publicly names Carrefour, Intel, FINRA, Alaska Airlines and Honda of Alabama.
Who are Graylog and Splunk sold to?
From its own pages, Graylog sells mainly to lean teams covering security, IT, and audit. From its own pages, Splunk sells mainly to organisations that want security, observability, and AI data on one platform.
What have Graylog and Splunk announced recently?
October 13, 2026: Graylog launched the Verascend Incident System together with Graylog v7.2, which turns correlated, risk-scored events into prioritized cases. September 15, 2026: Cisco released Cisco AI POD for Splunk, which brings Splunk AI features to on-premises customers on Cisco infrastructure with NVIDIA computing.

About Graylog

Graylog sells SIEM and log management. Graylog started in 2009 as an open source log management project and evolved through user feedback to a SIEM on the same codebase. Graylog says its platform is built for the people covering security, IT, and audit, as one platform at a cost of ownership that makes sense.[6]

Graylog describes a cost problem in which teams drop data at the edge to keep the bill down, balancing against compliance requirements. Graylog also points to legacy tools that take a full-time admin before they return a single answer. Graylog Enterprise is described as giving IT teams full visibility and operational control without the complexity, cost, or months of setup.[5][6]

Graylog sells its platform in editions. Graylog Enterprise is for operations teams needing enterprise-grade log management and compliance. Graylog Security is for lean security teams needing security information and event management (SIEM).[6]

On the security side, Graylog says alerts pointing at the same thing become a single incident, weighted by what that asset is worth to you and other risk amplifiers. Graylog provides pre-built content for common sources, attack frameworks, and the standards customers are audited against. Graylog also offers a report writing AI agent that drafts the documentation of what happened and what needs fixing. Graylog supports watchlists, which are managed lists of values that Graylog checks log messages against.[7]

On the operations side, Graylog collects evidence from across an environment on one timeline with consistent field names. Graylog Enterprise includes a built-in data lake that stores years of logs on AWS or Azure Blob without counting against the license. Graylog Enterprise offers MCP server integration that connects Graylog with a preferred LLM for AI-assisted analysis and automation. Graylog says tiering and policy-driven retention satisfy an audit without keeping everything in expensive storage.[5]

Graylog Enterprise runs cloud-native, on-premises, or hybrid with full feature parity across every deployment model. Graylog says self-managed deployment gives full control over where data lives but requires the customer to provide the infrastructure and maintain uptime. Graylog Cloud is available in the AWS Marketplace. For data residency, Graylog says EU-based OVH and Secunet bring data sovereignty to tiered storage for GDPR and DORA requirements.[5][6]

Graylog licenses processed data volume in the active data tier, with daily volume and annual consumption as the two models. Annual consumption is measured in Graylog Consumption Units, and a single unit can be redeemed for 20 GB of Graylog Security or 25 GB of Graylog Enterprise.[1][6]

Graylog on the record

Sources

Graylog full record

  1. [1]Graylog brings explainable ai and automated investigations to lean security teamsGraylog · graylog.org · published March 18, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Graylog and soc prime form exclusive partnershipGraylog · graylog.org · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Graylog | SIEM & Enterprise Log ManagementGraylog · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Graylog Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]Advanced Log Management & Real-Time AnalysisGraylog · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Graylog Pricing Plans & Features ComparisonGraylog · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Watchlists in Graylog SecurityGraylog · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Graylog Brings Explainable AI and Automated Investigations to Lean Security TeamsGraylog · published March 18, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Graylog v7.2 launches the Verascend™ Incident System, transforming how security teams detect and respond to threatsGraylog · published October 13, 2026 · Tier A

Splunk full record

  1. [1]ProductsSplunk · splunk.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cisco completes acquisition of splunkCisco · newsroom.cisco.com · published March 18, 2024 · Tier A
  3. [3]Get the most out of splunk infrastructure monitoring and splunk itsiSplunk · splunk.com · published November 17, 2020 · Tier A
  4. [4]Contact usSplunk · splunk.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]CarrefourSplunk · splunk.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]IntelSplunk · splunk.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]FinraSplunk · splunk.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Alaska airlinesSplunk · splunk.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]HondaSplunk · splunk.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Cisco delivers trusted ai at scale through new splunk advancementsCisco · newsroom.cisco.com · published September 15, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Cisco buys galileo strengthen splunks agentic monitoring capabilitiesSiliconANGLE · siliconangle.com · published April 9, 2026 · Tier B
  12. [12]Get Data In | Platform (last updated lastModifiedISO)Splunk · undated page, accessed October 28, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Analytics Story: Warzone RAT | Splunk Security ContentSplunk · published May 13, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Analytics Story: Trickbot | Splunk Security ContentSplunk · published May 13, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Splunk | Data Platform for Security, Observability & AISplunk · undated page, accessed October 28, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Splunk Enterprise Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & FeaturesG2 · undated page, accessed October 28, 2026 · Tier C
  17. [17]Using advanced macros - Splunk LanternSplunk Lantern · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]L’IA au service de la sécurité | SplunkSplunk · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]Investigating and searching across your data estate with Cisco Data Fabric powered by the Splunk platform - Splunk LanternSplunk Lantern · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Preparing data for use with the Splunk AI Toolkit - Splunk LanternSplunk Lantern · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]De-identifying PII consistently with hashing in Edge Processor - Splunk LanternSplunk Lantern · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  22. [22]Using Log Observer Connect with Cloud Platform - Splunk LanternSplunk Lantern · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  23. [23]Splunk Launches Hosted Generative AI Models: Native-AI Insights, Zero Setup, Maximum SecuritySplunk · published February 18, 2026 · Tier A
  24. [24]Announcing Splunk Enterprise 10.2 & Splunk Cloud Platform 10.2 – Next Generation Querying & AnalyticsSplunk · published January 16, 2026 · Tier A
  25. [25]Splunk Observability + Galileo: Bridging the AI Trust GapSplunk · published May 28, 2026 · Tier A

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