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Logs vs lnav: catalog facts
Logs	lnav
Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	macOS, Linux, Command line
Groups journal events into categories Search as you type	Automatic detection of log formats and compressed files Merges several logs into one view
Requires a systemd-based Linux system Viewer only, with no alerting or remote log collection	Meant for small-scale use, not central log collection Terminal interface takes some learning
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0-or-later	License: BSD-2-Clause
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.