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

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