Free Log Volume calculator with clear step-by-step results.
Log platforms are usually priced on raw ingest but store compressed data, so both figures matter. Events per second times event size gives raw daily volume, compression reduces what is stored, and multiplying by retention gives the steady-state footprint you actually pay to keep.
Raw daily volume
GB = events per second x bytes per event x 86,400 / 10^9
Retained storage
GB = raw daily volume / compression ratio x retention days
Structured JSON logs with repetitive fields commonly compress 8:1 to 12:1. Free-text logs with high entropy, or logs already containing base64 payloads, may only reach 3:1.
Sample high-volume debug events, drop redundant fields at the agent, and tier older data to cheaper object storage. Cutting retention is usually the blunt last resort.