No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

VMware Aria Operations for Logs vs syslog-ng by One Identity comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 20, 2026

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 by One Identity
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
18th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of syslog-ng by One Identity is 1.4%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Aria Operations for Logs is 1.1%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
syslog-ng by One Identity1.4%
VMware Aria Operations for Logs1.1%
Other97.5%
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.
DineshKumar21 - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager at DXC Technology
Comprehensive monitoring has improved performance, capacity planning, and multi-source log analysis
VMware Aria Operations for Logs would be used to completely monitor the health of your environment. Second is to understand your existing capacity and forecast your capacity for the next year or so. Third would be on performance management, understanding how the environment is performing, and what has to be done to optimize it. We use VMware Aria Operations for Logs for these purposes. We also use VMware Aria Operations for Logs to monitor non-VMware components as well. VMware Aria Operations for Logs is now part of a bigger suite with several modules added. You have an option to collect logs from various sources and then you can do some sorts of analytics from it as well. All of this can be done with VMware Aria Operations for Logs.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"The setup and installation are very easy."
"We are using it because we have a VMware product. It has its own built in dashboards for VMware products, and that's a good thing."
"It provides multiple platforms, you can use a Windows Operating System, you can Mac, and you can use Linux on a particular server."
"VMware Aria Operations for Logs is a very stable product."
"Overall, I would recommend VMware Aria Operations for Logs because it is a good tool with many valuable features."
"The most valuable features are log centralization and long-term retention for logs."
"The events are notably more descriptive, aiding in security and event analysis. We've also integrated Sky Collector, providing valuable insights and solutions for troubleshooting."
"The virtualization solution supports data center virtualization, network and security."
 

Cons

"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
"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."
"The monitoring landscape is getting bigger. When it comes to infrastructure monitoring, we need more visibility. VMware needs to integrate more related applications and third-party products. That would make it more appealing to an audience beyond the VMware team."
"I would like to see more tutorials or at least an introduction video from the supplier, so you can become proficient and get the most out of the solution. You might not get the full benefit from a logging or reporting solution because you might not have a particular tool enabled. You could leave something out of your analysis because you aren't aware of it or you don't know how to set it up."
"vRealize Log Insight has very limited integration and is primarily designed for VMware environments."
"The product is really expensive compared to other products in the market."
"The solution is a very good tool, but it has a lot of limitations."
"Log retention should have more options for user control."
"What I'd like to improve in vRealize Log Insight is the licensing model. VMware provides vRealize Log Insight along with the VMware Cloud Foundation, but customers who would like to go for the native VMware would have to procure vRealize Log Insight separately. Today, vRealize Log Insight is offered on two different licenses, one is based on the number of VMs, and the other is based on the number of physical codes on the machine. If VMware can provide a bundle offer for customers who procure more than ten licenses, where you can have an option to run, for example, three hundred machines on vRealize Log Insight with no extra cost, this would encourage more people to adopt the solution. What I'd like to see in the next release of vRealize Log Insight is for a cloud option to be available, which would be a pay-as-you-go licensing model that would allow me to pick and choose what I'll monitor. For example, I have one thousand and three hundred critical servers, and the seven hundred servers for basic development, I don't want to monitor on vRealize Log Insight today, so I should be able to pick what I need to monitor on the solution and only pay for that specific instance. If VMware can apply these changes, it would help VMware customers to procure more or adopt more of vRealize Log Insight even in smaller projects."
"The solution should be more user-friendly. The user interface and dashboard could be simplified."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Syslog-ng is open-source."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
"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. If you have a complete virtualized environment, or at least you're using a ninety-five percent virtualized environment, then vRealize Log Insight will play a very good role because it is a VMware component, so it has very tight integration with other VMware components and systems. This means you don't have to procure any other monitoring and management tool, and you don't need a separate automation tool. vRealize Log Insight will have an upper hand if your environment is purely virtualized on VMware. If you're using a mix of physical and virtual components, for example, a 50:50 ratio, then you need to have a third-party component to manage overall monitoring."
"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."
"The pricing has been updated recently."
"It is not cheap. But it is worth it."
"Pricing is good because it is part of the suite package. It comes in a bundle for us."
"Pricing could always be lower. If it were free, I would be more satisfied."
"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Log Management solutions are best for your needs.
913,076 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software 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 Enterprise13
 

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?
VMware Aria Operations for Logs does have device licenses. The license is perpetual and you do not have to pay monthly as it is a one time purchase. The only thing is if you are looking for support...
What needs improvement with vRealize Log Insight?
VMware periodically provides upgrades and updates to the product. They are also extending support to various third party hardware as well. I am not sure whether they have any ready made APIs for cl...
What is your primary use case for vRealize Log Insight?
We have been using this for the last five years.
 

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 by One Identity and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,076 professionals have used our research since 2012.