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lnav vs Nerdlog: catalog facts
lnav	Nerdlog
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the BSD 2-Clause license.
macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Automatic detection of log formats and compressed files Merges several logs into one view	Searches logs from multiple hosts over SSH Timeline histogram helps explore results by time
Meant for small-scale use, not central log collection Terminal interface takes some learning	Requires SSH access to the hosts being queried.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-2-Clause	License: BSD-2-Clause
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

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