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Pricing and managing usage

Log Explorer billing is based on the volume of logs ingested and stored, measured in gigabytes (GB). Your charges scale with the amount of log data you choose to retain in Log Explorer.

Unlike query-based billing models, charges are not based on how often you search or scan your data. Once logs are ingested and stored, you can query them without additional cost.

Availability

Log Explorer is available as a paid add-on for any Application Services or Zero Trust purchase. There is no free version or trial available at this time.

Billable usage

Log Explorer billing is strictly consumption-based, calculated by the GBs ingested and stored.

Attack traffic

Because Log Explorer is a forensics product, attack traffic is considered valuable data for analysis and is included in your billable usage.

Estimate usage

To estimate your Log Explorer usage, review your request volumes in Analytics for specific Cloudflare log datasets.

Record size by dataset

The following table provides average and maximum record sizes for each dataset to help you estimate potential storage needs:

DatasetAverage Record SizeMaximum Record Size
audit_logs2.69 kB172 kB
email_security_alerts6.74 kB74.9 kB
firewall_events1.36 kB47.2 kB
audit_logs_v21.73 kB28.5 kB
zaraz_events7.30 kB11.7 kB
http_requests1.56 kB9.76 kB
gateway_dns1.44 kB6.23 kB
dex_application_tests3.29 kB5.67 kB
casb_findings2.67 kB3.80 kB
gateway_http1.47 kB2.60 kB
dex_device_state_events1.98 kB2.57 kB
page_shield_events443 B2.02 kB
network_analytics_logs1.31 kB1.87 kB
zero_trust_network_sessions1.21 kB1.52 kB
gateway_network877 B1.17 kB
device_posture_results730 B944 B
spectrum_events685 B925 B
sinkhole_http_logs705 B705 B
access_requests446 B541 B
dns_firewall_logs387 B469 B
dns_logs199 B409 B
magic_ids_detections334 B349 B
warp_toggle_changes327 B335 B
ipsec_logs207 B260 B
nel_reports204 B224 B

Monitor usage

Cloudflare provides three primary ways to track your consumption and maintain financial oversight:

  • In-product quick indicator: View your current month's usage directly within the Log Explorer interface at the top of the Log Search and Manage Datasets sections.
  • Account-level billing: Access a detailed view of current and previous months' cumulative usage under Manage Account > Billing.
  • Usage alerts: Set up automated notifications to trigger when billable usage exceeds a defined threshold.

Configure a usage alert

  1. Log in to the Cloudflare dashboard and select Manage account.
  2. Go to Notifications > Add.
  3. Select Usage-based Billing.
  4. Define your threshold and the notification destination (email, PagerDuty, or webhooks).

Deactivate Log Explorer

To stop using Log Explorer and end associated charges, you must complete both of the following steps:

1. Stop log ingestion

Disabling datasets stops additional ingestion charges immediately.

  1. Go to the Manage datasets page at the account level.
  2. Use the toggle to turn off each dataset you no longer need.
  3. Select Stop ingesting logs to confirm.

2. Cancel the subscription

This prevents the subscription from renewing at the next billing cycle.

  1. Go to the Billing page.
  2. In the Subscriptions tab, find the Log Explorer subscription and select Cancel.