Looking for Datadog alternatives? Here's a quick rundown of top options:
- Amazon CloudWatch - Best for AWS
- LogicMonitor - Great for hybrid infrastructures
- IBM Instana - Excels with microservices
- New Relic - User-friendly with strong APM
- Dynatrace - Powerful AI-driven monitoring
- AppDynamics - Strong in transaction analysis
- Splunk - Robust log management
- Sumo Logic - Solid cloud-native monitoring
Quick comparison:
| Tool | Starting Price | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Datadog | Complex pricing | Comprehensive cloud monitoring |
| CloudWatch | Pay-as-you-go | Native AWS integration |
| LogicMonitor | Quote-based | Agentless data collection |
| IBM Instana | $20/month per MVS | Automated APM for microservices |
| New Relic | Free tier available | User-friendly interface |
| Dynatrace | $21/month for 8GB/host | AI-powered problem detection |
| AppDynamics | $3,300/year | Deep code-level diagnostics |
| Splunk | $15/host/month | Powerful search capabilities |
| Sumo Logic | $3/GB for logs | Cloud-native security monitoring |
Consider your needs, budget, and expertise when choosing an alternative.
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1. Amazon CloudWatch
CloudWatch gives DevOps teams a unified view of AWS resources, apps, and services. Key features:
- Real-time AWS resource monitoring
- Metric, log, and event tracking
- Automated dashboards
- Alarms and automated actions
CloudWatch pricing:
| Feature | Free Tier | Paid Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Metrics | 10 | ¥2.0000 per metric (first 10,000) |
| Standard Alarms | 10 | ¥0.622 per alarm metric |
| API Requests | 1,000,000 | ¥0.0622 per 1,000 requests |
| Log Data Ingestion | 5GB | ¥6.228 per GB |
Pay-as-you-go model can lead to unexpected costs if not monitored.
Best for:
- AWS-focused companies
- Small startups and solo developers
- Teams wanting native AWS integration
Not ideal for multi-cloud or hybrid setups.
2. LogicMonitor
LogicMonitor offers full IT infrastructure visibility for enterprises. Features include:
- Agentless data collection
- Dynamic device tracking
- AI-powered proactive monitoring
- Customizable dashboards
- Smart alerting
Integrates with 2000+ services. Two main plans:
| Plan | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | Infrastructure monitoring, alerting, reporting, access control | Quote-based |
| Enterprise | Pro features + forecasting, anomaly detection, extended logs | Quote-based |
Can be pricier than alternatives. Best for:
- Managed Service Providers
- Large enterprises
- Organizations needing many integrations
Offers longer data retention than Datadog.
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3. IBM Instana
IBM Instana specializes in APM for containerized environments. Key features:
- Automatic microservice discovery/mapping
- AI-powered anomaly detection
- Real-time problem-solving context
- 1-second metric granularity
- Full request tracing
Pricing:
| Edition | Price (per month per MVS) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $20 | Cloud |
| Standard | $75 | Cloud |
| Self-Hosted | $93.80 | On-Premise |
Integrates with tools like Splunk, ServiceNow, and Datadog.
Ideal for:
- Large enterprises
- Mid-size businesses
- Small businesses using microservices
Ranks higher than Datadog APM in customer base size.
4. New Relic
New Relic offers full-stack visibility with a user-friendly interface. Features:
- Full-stack monitoring
- Real User Monitoring
- AI-powered incident response
- Customizable dashboards
- 750+ integrations
Pricing model:
- Free tier: 100 GB data/month, unlimited users
- Standard: $0.30/GB
- Data Plus: $0.50/GB
- Core User: $49/month
- Full Platform User: $99/month
Stands out for AI monitoring capabilities. Compared to Datadog:
| Feature | New Relic | Datadog |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Usage-based | Pay per GB with overage fees |
| Free data | 100 GB/month | 14-day trial |
| Container monitoring | Unlimited per host | Extra cost per container |
| Log retention | 30 days included | Extra cost |
Best for small to medium businesses and AI-focused companies.
5. Dynatrace
Dynatrace offers AI-powered APM for large enterprises. Key features:
- AI anomaly detection and root cause analysis
- Full-stack monitoring
- Automated problem resolution
- Real User Monitoring
- Synthetic monitoring
Pricing is consumption-based. No free trial available.
Dynatrace excels with its Davis® AI engine for quick issue remediation and proactive problem identification.
Compared to Datadog:
| Aspect | Dynatrace | Datadog |
|---|---|---|
| UI | More complex | User-friendly |
| Learning curve | Steeper | Easier |
| Auto-monitoring | Yes, for apps/databases | Manual setup |
| Log capture | Default | Manual config |
Best for large enterprises with complex IT needs and focus on AI-driven insights.
Choose based on your specific requirements, budget, and IT complexity.
