# Cribl Stream™ vs Substation: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[Cribl Stream™](https://cybersectools.com/tools/cribl-streamtm) is a commercial [security data pipelines](https://cybersectools.com/categories/security-data-pipelines) solution by [Cribl](https://cybersectools.com/companies/cribl). [Substation](https://cybersectools.com/tools/substation) is a free [security data pipelines](https://cybersectools.com/categories/security-data-pipelines) solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | Cribl Stream™ | Substation |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Commercial | Free |
| Category | Security Data Pipelines | Security Data Pipelines |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | Hybrid | Cloud |
| Company size fit | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | – | 390 |
| Last commit | – | Jan 2026 |
| Company | Cribl | – |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Cribl Stream™ | Substation |
|---|---|---|
| Log Management | Yes | – |
| Observability | Yes | – |
| PII | Yes | – |
| GDPR | Yes | – |
| AI Copilot | Yes | – |
| Data Exfiltration | Yes | – |
| Sensitive Data | Yes | – |
| Security Orchestration | Yes | – |
| Workflow | Yes | – |
| Cloud Native | – | Yes |
| Serverless | – | Yes |
| AWS | – | Yes |

### Core features

**Cribl Stream™**

10 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**Substation**

No features listed.

### Integrations

**Cribl Stream™**

5 integrations listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**Substation**

No integrations listed.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [Cribl Stream™](https://cybersectools.com/tools/cribl-streamtm) fits if you need both cloud and on-premises options.
- [Substation](https://cybersectools.com/tools/substation) fits if you want a cloud product, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## Cribl Stream™ vs Substation FAQ

Common questions when comparing Cribl Stream™ vs Substation for security data pipelines.

### What is the difference between Cribl Stream™ and Substation?

**Cribl Stream™**: Observability pipeline to collect, reduce, enrich & route telemetry data. Built by Cribl.

**Substation**: A cloud-native, event-driven data pipeline toolkit for security teams that processes and routes data across AWS services with custom formatting and API enrichment capabilities.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes Cribl Stream™ and Substation?

**Cribl Stream™** is made by Cribl. **Substation** is open-source with 390 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is Cribl Stream™ a good alternative to Substation?

Often, yes. Cribl Stream™ and Substation are both Security Data Pipelines products. Key differences: Cribl Stream™ is Commercial while Substation is Free, Substation is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [Cribl Stream™ vs Cribl.Cloud](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cribl-streamtm-vs-criblcloud)
- [Cribl Stream™ vs Cribl AI](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cribl-ai-vs-cribl-streamtm)
- [Cribl Stream™ vs Monad Embedded](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cribl-streamtm-vs-monad)
- [Substation vs Cribl.Cloud](https://cybersectools.com/compare/criblcloud-vs-substation)
- [Substation vs Cribl AI](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cribl-ai-vs-substation)
- [Substation vs Monad Embedded](https://cybersectools.com/compare/monad-vs-substation)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Cribl Stream™ alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/cribl-streamtm)
- [See all Substation alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/substation)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/cribl-streamtm-vs-substation

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/cribl-streamtm.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on Cribl Stream™ and Substation: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md