Splunk Enterprise vs Amazon GuardDuty

Splunk Enterprise8.6Visit Amazon GuardDuty8.5Visit

Higher score Splunk Enterprise #7 in Security Monitoring 8.6/10 Free plan · pricing on request · 60-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Splunk

vs

Amazon GuardDuty #8 in Security Monitoring 8.5/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 2 features Visit AWS GuardDuty

• Splunk Enterprise fits best

  Teams building self-hosted log monitoring pipelines

• Amazon GuardDuty fits best

  Teams running workloads on AWS

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Side by side

Feature	Splunk Enterprise 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Amazon GuardDuty 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.5
Ranking	#7 in Security Monitoring	#8 in Security Monitoring
Best for	Teams building self-hosted log monitoring pipelines	Teams running workloads on AWS
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	Free plan · pricing on request · 60-day trial	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	60 days	30 days
Free trial length	60 days · no card needed	30 days
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux, macOS	Web
Support	Phone, Tickets	Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	15 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Splunk Enterprise 0/2 · Amazon GuardDuty 0/2
Automated response	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Log search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Data source coverage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Data retention	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Alerting channels	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Collects and indexes data from files, networks, applications, and devices SPL and SPL2 support search, transformation, and analysis Exports indexed data and supports distributed deployments	Monitors AWS logs, workloads, and data across multiple protection plans Covers EKS, EC2, Fargate, Lambda, S3, RDS, and AI workloads Routes findings into EventBridge-based notification and response workflows
Cons	The free license is limited to standalone use and 500 MB/day ingestion Paid pricing is quote-based Broad log monitoring scope may not suit teams seeking a dedicated SIEM	Coverage is limited to AWS cloud environments Pay-as-you-go costs vary by data source and AWS Region The 30-day offer is a trial, not a permanent free plan
Our verdict	Splunk Enterprise collects and indexes machine-generated data from sources such as websites, applications, sensors, and devices, making it a fit for teams that need searchable operational or security logs in their own environment. It… Read the review →	Amazon GuardDuty is a managed threat detection service for teams monitoring AWS accounts, workloads, and data. It analyzes AWS logs and activity to generate security findings with severity and resource details. Coverage spans foundational… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Splunk Enterprise — where it wins

  • Collects and indexes data from files, networks, applications, and devices
  • SPL and SPL2 support search, transformation, and analysis
  • Exports indexed data and supports distributed deployments

  Where it doesn't

  • The free license is limited to standalone use and 500 MB/day ingestion
  • Paid pricing is quote-based
  • Broad log monitoring scope may not suit teams seeking a dedicated SIEM

• Amazon GuardDuty — where it wins

  • Monitors AWS logs, workloads, and data across multiple protection plans
  • Covers EKS, EC2, Fargate, Lambda, S3, RDS, and AI workloads
  • Routes findings into EventBridge-based notification and response workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Coverage is limited to AWS cloud environments
  • Pay-as-you-go costs vary by data source and AWS Region
  • The 30-day offer is a trial, not a permanent free plan

• Splunk Enterprise8.6/10 · Free plan · pricing on request · 60-day trial

  A self-hosted log platform with searchable events, SPL analysis, alerts, and dashboards.

  Visit SplunkFull verdict →
• Amazon GuardDuty8.5/10 · 30-day trial

  Broad AWS threat detection with findings and response workflows, limited to AWS environments.

  Visit AWS GuardDutyFull verdict →