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ArcSight Logger 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

ArcSight Logger
Ranking in Log Management
39th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
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
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of ArcSight Logger is 0.9%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of syslog-ng is 1.5%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
syslog-ng1.5%
ArcSight Logger0.9%
Other97.6%
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

MA
Sr. Cybersecurity Consultant IT/OT at EJADA
Compliance and cost-effectiveness have improved while critical infrastructure security adapts to evolving needs
ArcSight Logger fulfills compliance requirements and passes audit requirements. It is one of the Aramco standards requirements and is recommended by Aramco for any implementation. Aramco, SABIC, water companies, and electricity companies are critical infrastructure with air-gapped networks. In an air-gapped network, there is no communication going out from that network area to the outside world, even to the corporate network. ArcSight Logger is installed on minimal resources with minimal requirements. There are not many upgrades or new features that come up frequently, though they do occur occasionally.
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I would definitely say to go with this product as it's the best in the market, but before opting for this product your perform solution-sizing because otherwise you might end up digging your own grave in fixing it."
"I am impressed with the product's ability to pick up logs. It also has UEBA which has reduced the time to take charge of the events."
"It's the most comprehensive solution."
"The most valuable feature is the level of detail that you can see about certain events, even when they do not come up in the console."
"The technical support team is good...It is a scalable solution."
"It's an efficient solution."
"It benefits the organization by identifying the threats ranging from the most basic ones to many advanced ones."
"ArcSight provides the basic information that we want."
"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."
"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."
"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
"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."
"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."
 

Cons

"We have had problems with archiving."
"Clicking on a log source on the main page should not pull all stored logs as this is too slow and way excessive."
"Scaling this product is painful."
"They should enhance and improve everything related to the graphical user interface."
"Using the ArcSight Logger dashboard is not particularly intuitive or efficient, so it is important to be trained in its use."
"The solution should make it possible to integrate network analysis features."
"In the next release, I want to see more intelligence."
"The only drawback is that without ESM, you are limited."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the product a seven out of ten since it's an enterprise product."
"ArcSight Logger is very expensive compared to their competitors, but when we talk to the customer and explain what the features are and how we can scale, they understand. Still, ArcSight is more expensive than the competition."
"ArcSight is an expensive solution."
"We have a lifetime license, so we don't pay a monthly fee."
"The pricing is quite harsh."
"It's not cheap at all as it's a big product and has been in the market for quite some time now."
"Pricing is reasonable compared to similar tools on the market. They offer perpetual licenses."
"I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is inexpensive, and ten is expensive."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
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893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise16
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ArcSight Logger?
We have a trigger. So, Logger automatically blocks these IP addresses. We could have Logger put them on a blacklist.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ArcSight Logger?
The pricing isn't the problem. We have a lifetime license, so we don't pay a monthly fee.
What needs improvement with ArcSight Logger?
This decision is made by higher management as they don't want to have multiple solutions for one solution. ArcSight Logger themselves don't provide good support, but companies such as ours provide ...
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

Micro Focus Arcsight Logger, HPE Arcsight Logger
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

China Merchants Bank, Bank AlJazira, Banca Intesa
Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Find out what your peers are saying about ArcSight Logger vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.